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HISTORY 



OP 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 



TO WHICH IS PREFIXED A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE 
EARLY HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. - 



COMPILED FROM AUTHENTIC SOURCES. 



BY L DANIEL RUPP, 

AUTHOR DER MAERTYRER GESCHICHTE, ETC. ETC. 



LANCASTER, PENN: 

I'UBLISHED BY GILBERT HILLS. 

1844. 



''^ -©^N .••> Vs\>\\ % 



[Entered according to act of Congress, in the5'car 1842, m the Clerk's 
Office of the Easteni District of Penn?yl%^ania, by Gilbebt HiLLf, pro- 
prietor and publisher.] 



/- lOH^I^ 



PREFACE. 



In collecting the materials necessary for compiling a History 
of Lancaster County, we sought access to every possible 
source of information, as far as our prescribed time and limited 
means admitted. Could we have anticipated half the difficul- 
ties we should encounter in prosecuting our researches, we 
would certainly have relinquished the undertaking. Although 
we had spent several months in search of materials, the col- 
lection was still far from being satisfactory to our ourselves, 
but owing to the Publisher's engagements, we were consti^cThed 
to yield to his wishes and commence the arrangement of such 
materials as were on hand. To add to what was collected, we 
read, in less than one hundred days, upwards of ten thousand 
pages, opened correspondence with a number of gentlemen, 
in different parts of the county, called on scores of persons — 
on some ten times — who hsid fairly promised to collect facts, 
&c. — arranged the materials, re-wrote half the book twice, 
examined a portion of the proof sheets, now and then attended 
to business abroad, yet amidst all this " bustle and hurry," we 
aimed to trace facts to their sources ; and these, it is confidently 
believed, are authentic. 

Whether the best judgment has been exercised in the selec- 
tion of the materials on hand, and the happiest arrangement 
adopted, is not for us to decide. We strove to make the fairest 
use of them. As to the diversity of style appearing in this 
book, we would here "interpose" the remark that, except in a 
few instances, the very words of authors quoted, and of 
contributors, were preserved. In general the usual marks 
of credit are given. 



Owing to our repeated absence, the book has not appeared 
in that "due proportion" desirable in all its parts. Could we 
have always been at hand to shape the copy as it was called 
for, we believe the book would have appeared in a somewhat 
improved form, and some slight errors, in dates, have been 
detected, in time to correct them.* 

We would, therefore, in view of all this, claim the indul- 
gence of the reader for any imperfection he may notice.^ 
That we have been sometimes too rapid in recital, and again 
too prolix in detail, we know. This, however, we could not 
avoid in order to connect detailed facts and events, as we had 
not all the materials before us when we commenced the com- 
pilation, consequently could not know when to be concise, 
and when to enlarge. Situated as we were, "to strike a new, 
dark and devious path, without a guide to follow," was the 
only course left us. With these facts before him, the good na- 
tured critic, it is believed, will excuse the Compiler. 

The acknowledgments of the compiler are due, for facts fur- 
nished, to the following gentlemen: Hon. Charles M'Clure, 
Secretary of the Commonwealth i H. K. Strong, State Libra- 
rian ; Col. R. M. Grain, of the Land Office ; G. W. Harris, of 
Harrisburg; Messrs. John Thome, T. H. Burrowes, H. A. Car- 
penter, E. C. Heigart, E,. Conyngham, Joseph Konigmacher, 
A. Dubree, Gardner Furness, H. F. Slaymaker, John Slayma- 
ker, George Difienbach, Samuel Bowman, Abraham Mylin, 
Christian Herr, Henry Flickinger, John Strohm and others. 

We are particularly indebted to Mr. John Beck and George 
Ford, Esq. for the free use of their MSS. Prof S. S. Halde- 
man, furnished chapter XTII ; J.J. Libhart, of Marietta, the list 
of birds, and the drawings by a self-taught artist, Mr. C. S. Getz, 
proprietor of the Lancaster Museum. 
Lancaster, Dec. 1843. 

*CoRRt.c-noxs.— r. 122, 4th line of the note, read 1712— p. 257, 4th 
line iVorn bottom, read, as early as 1631 — p. 2G4, 4th line from the top, read, 
Lowe— p. 296, 12th line, read, in 1785— p. 3C8, 9th line, read 1742— p. 310, 
Irft line, read 1744— p. 316, read, Charles— p. S23, 5lh line, read sciences — 
p. 442, 13th line, read, one hundred and sixteen. 



CONTENTS. 



Introductory part : from the earliest settlements made in Penn- 
sylvania, to the first settlements made within the present tiraits 
of Laricaster cou7ity. 

CHAPTER I. 

Colinization, remarks on, p. 13 ; Purchases made fr jm the Indians, 14 ; 
In New England, 15; By Calvert, 15; By Roger Williams. 15 ; By the 
Swedes, 15; By Carteret, 16; Penn follows their example, 16; Early set- 
tlement of Delaware bay and river, 17; Swedes supplanted by the Dutch, 
18; Dutch triumph short, 18; Delaware taken possession of by the En<T- 
llsh, 18; Penn purchases New Castle, IS. 

CHAPTER II. 

William Penn born, p. 19; flow he was made acquainted with America, 
20; Instrumental in settling West New Jersey, 20; Obtains a charter for 
Pennsylvania, 9A; First purchasers embark for America, 22; Markham's 
instruction, 22 ; lie holds a treaty with the Indians, 22 ; Penn arrives in 
America, 23; Convenes an Assembly at Upland, 23; Interview with J^ord 
Baltimore, 23 ; Religious visits, 23 ; Visits New Jersey, the Duke of York, 
his friends on Long Island: returns to Piiiladelphia, holds his grand treaty 
with the Indian?, 24-26; More arrivals from Europe, 26; Emigrants pro- 
vide shelters, 27 ; Form plantations, 27; Philadelphia laid out, 2S ; Coun- 
ties organized, 28 ; Second Assembly convoked, 28 ; Penn obliged to return 
to Europe, 20. 

CHAPTER III. 

Brief sketch of the History of Pennsylvania from 1684 to 1699, p. 30- 
37; Provincial executives from 1684 to 1699, 31; Boundaries of Chester 
county determined, 34 ; Increase of population, 34 ; First mills in Chester 

1* 



county, 34; Pcnn's effort to improve the condition of the natives, 35; 
Efforts to christianize the Indians, 35 ; Penn's new treaty with the Susque- 
hanna, Shawanese and Ganawese, &c. natives, 36 ; A new form of Govern- 
ment framed, 37; Penn appoints Andrew Hamilton deputy governor : sails 
for England, 37. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Prince WilHam dies, p. 38 ; Anne ascends the throne, 38 ; Penn in favor 
with her, 38 ; State of affairs in the province, 39 ; Disquiet among the Indi- 
ans, 39; Messenger sent to the Conestogo Indians : Secretary of the council 
and sheriff of Chester and New Castle are sent to them, 40 ; Thomas 
Chalklcy preaches at Conestogo, 41 ; Governor visits the Conestogo Indi- 
ans, 44 ; Indian eloquence, 44; Gov. Evans' strange character, and second 
journey to Susquehanna, 45 ; Governor's journal of his interview with the 
Indians, 46; Nicole apprehended at Paxtan, conveyed to Philadelphia and 
imprisoned, 51. 

CHAPTER V. 

Cause of disquietude among the Indians, p. 53; Indians at Conestogo 
send a messenger to the council, 53; Mitchell and other Europeans intrude 
upon the Indians, 54; Governor Evansi' explanation of Mitchell's course, 
&5; Critical juncture, 55; Evans re-called, 56 ; Gookin appointed governor, 
56; Penn's embarrassment, 56; Quitrents, 56; Emigraticn impeded, 57. 
Gookin sends a message to the Indians at Conestogo, 57 ; Swedish mission- 
aiy at Conestogo, 59 ; His sermon and Indian chief's answer, 59-60; 
French and Worley on a message to Conestogo. 



SECOND PART. 

From the earliest settlements made untliin the present limits of the 
county to its organization in the year 1729. 

CHAPTER I. 

Preliminary remarks, p. 67; Unsettled state of affairs in Europe, C8 ; 
Consequent emigration of Swiss, Germans, French and others, into America^ 
70; Into Pennsylvania, 72; Swiss Mennonites settle in Pequea Valley, 74; 
Purchase ten thousand acres of land, 76 ; Make improvements, 78 , Others 
purchase laiiJs, 79; The Mennonites call a meeting to send a person to 
Europe for the residue of their families, 80; Keni!ig goes and returns with a 



number of families, 81 ; Settlements augfmented, 82 ; Goveraor Gookla*a 
journey to Conestogo, 86. 

CHAPTER II. 

Ferree family make preparations to emigrate to America, 90; Procure 
certifiicates of civil and religious standing, 92 ; By way of Holland and 
England come to New York, 96; Acquire the rights of citizenship, 96; 
Settle in Lancaster county, 101 ; Several documents of interest, 103 ; Tra- 
dition 01 the ancestors of the Ferrees, by Joel Lightner, Esq., 108; Tusca- 
rora Indians winter with the Five Nations, 113. 

CHAPTER III. 

Augmentation of settlements, p. 115 ; Germans and English settle around 
the Swiss or Palatines, 117; Settlements in difllrent parts of the county, 120; 
Names of persons naturalized, 123; Notice of Slaymakers, 127; Conestoga 
Manor surveyed, 129; Names of first purchasers, 131; Grafi'chal settled, 
133; Lancaster and vicinity settled, 135; Squatters on the west side of Sus- 
quehanna, 136 ; Indians at Conestoga address a letter to Logan, 136 ; Col. 
French goes to (Conestoga: holds a treaty with the Indians, 137; Logan 
meets them on the Susquehanna, 141 ; Samuel Robins sent to Virginia, 153. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Governor Keith visits the governor of Virginia, p. 154; Holds a council 
with the Indians at Conestogo 155 ; Indians complain of the use of rum, &c. 
158 ; Their trade in pelts impaired, 160 ; Secretary Logan holds a discourse 
with Ghesaont, 169; Ghesaont's reply, &c. 170; Disturbances created by 
intruders under pretence of finding copper mines, &c. 175 ; Governor Keith 
has a survey made on the west side of Susquehanna. 176; Indians alarmed 
by Maryland intruders, 176; Logan, French and sheriff of the county hold 
a council at Conestogo, 177; Keith determines to resist attempted encroach- 
ments by the Marylanders, 178; A council is held at (Conestogo, 179; 
Springetsbury manor surveyed, 182; Council held at Conoytown, 182; 
Settlement of Germans at Sivatara and Tulpehocken, 182. 

CHAPTER V. 

Donegal township organized, p. 135; First sctilers, 185; Harris attempted 
to settle at Conoy, 185; Settles at Paxton, 186; Settlement commenced by- 
Barber, Wright and Blunstoi), 187; Settlements back from the river, 189; 
Reamstown Kettltment, 190; Welsh settlement, 191; Weber's Thai settle- 
loent, 192 ; Settlement at Sacue Schwamm, or New Holland, 193 ; Germans 
misrepresented, 194; Cs^mmittee appointed to inquire into the facts; makes 



8 

report, 196; Thomas Wright killed by the Indians, 197; Inhabitants of the 
upper part of Chester county alarmed, 198; Governor Gordon goes to Con- 
estogo and holds a treaty with the Indians, 199; Returns to Philadelphia: 
Note : Iron works, 206 ; David DiefFenderfer, brief notice of, 207. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Ephrata, p. 211 ; Origin of German Baptists in Europe, and their emi- 
gration to America, 212; Sieben Taeger Association formed at Ephrata by 
Conrad Beissel, 215; Change of life among them, 216; They built Kedar 
andZion, 217; Singular architecture of buildings, 218; Fi-actur: Schriftcn 
by the Sisters, 219 ; Specimens of original poetry, 220 ; Eckerlein and the 
bell, 222 ; Its destination, 223 ; Sabbath school estabhshed, 224 ; Miller 
succeeds Beissel, 225; JuUana Penn's letter, 229; Poetry dedicated to 
Miller, 230 ; Present state of Ephrata, 232 ; List of names of the first 
inhabitants of Ephrata, 232 ; Names of some of the early settlers in Lancas- 
ter county, 233. 



THIRD PART. 

From the organization of Lancaster county^ one thousand seven 
hundred and twenty-nine, 

CHAPTER L 

Erection and organization of the county, p. 235 ; Boundaries of, 239 ; 
Seat ot Justice, 242 ; James Annesly, 243 ; Boundaries of townships, 244 ; 
First court held at Postlewhaites, 250 ; Extracts of court records, 250 . 
M«rris Cannady indicled, 250 ; Found guilty and sold, 252 ; Constables, 
overseers and supervisors appointed, 252 ; Applicants to be Indian traders, 
253; Petitions for license to sell rum, 254 ; First court held at Lancaster, 
255 ; Conrad Weiser, notice of, 256 ; Notes, &c. 260. 

CHAPTER II. 

Iload from Lancaster to Philadelphia ordered to be laid out, &c. p. 262 ; 
Election excitement, or violent contest, 264; Border frays, 265 ; Townships 
erected, 2G6 ; Pennsborough and Hopewell, west of the Susquehanna, 266 ; 
Hanover, 267; Little Britain, 367; Jam,ss Ewing born, 667; Contest 
between the Mar}' landers and inhabitants of Lancaster, 268; Crcssap and 
his associates attempt to displace the Germans, 269 ; Is apprehended and 
impiisoned, 269 ; Governor Ojlc sends messengers to Philadelphia, 269 ; 



German settlers seized and carried to Baltimore, 269 ; The council sends 
an embassy to Governor Ogle, 270 ; Marylanders break into Lancaster jail, 
270; Germans naturalized, 271 ; Notes of variety, 272. 

CHAPTER III. 

Governor Thomas appointed, p. 274 ; The county divided into eight 
districts, 274 ; Several new townships formed, 275; John Wright's charge 
to the grand jury, 276; Brief memoir of V\ right, 281; Serjeant attempts 
to instruct the Indians, 282 ; Omish apply to the Assembly for an act of na- 
turalization, 282; Count Zinzendorf ia Lancaster, 283; Visits Wyorainir, 
284 ; Indians conclude to massacre him, 284 ; Singular incident dissuades 
them, 285; Attempts made to prejudice the Assembly against the Germans, 
286; Martin Meylin's house built, 286; Church council convoked, 287; 
Irish behavoir or conduct at an election, 288 ; Disputes between Irish and 
German?, 288 ; Murhancellin murders Armstrong and his two, servants, 289; 
Murhancellin arrested and imprisoned, 239 ; Indian treaty held in Lancas- 
ter, 289 ; Indians peel Musser's walnut trees, 290 ; Li/theran exciteznent in 
Lancaster, 291 ; Lindley Murray born, 291 ; Notes of variety, 292. 

CHAPTER IV. 

York county organized, p. 293 ; Election frauds, 294 ; Sa]>batli school 
commenced at Ephrata, 294; David Ramsay born : memoir of, 295; Bart 
township organized, 297; House of employment provided, 298; General 
Clark, 299; Abundant crops, 290; Distilleries erected. 299 ; Partial tamine, 
300; Indian alarms and horrid atrocities, 300 ; French neutrals imported, 
301 ; Their condition unenviable, 302; An Act to disperse them, 208; 
Cooper, Webb and Le Fevre appointed to execute the several provisions of 
the act, 303 ; Another Act passed relative to the French neutrals, 304 ; 
Notes of variety, 306. 

CHAPTER V. 

Moravian community at Litiz, p. 308 ; Zinzendorf in LancaEter, 309 ; Ap- 
plicaticn to the conference at Bethlehem, 310; {Commencement of Litiz, 
311 ; Parsonage built, 311 ; School-house removed ; Rev. B. A. Grube, 312; 
Present condition or state of Litiz : Improvements : Church and consecra- 
tion of it, &c. 313 ; List of the names of pastors, 315; Sj-hools and names 
of teachers, 317; Brother and sister houses, 320; The grave yard, 324; 
The spring, 328 ; Population, mechanics, &;c. 329. 

CHAPTER VL 

Hostilities between the English and the French in America, p. 332; Delar- 
ware and Shawanese Indians commit murders, 333 ; General Braddocl^g'a 



10 

arrival, 333; Braddock's defeat, 334; Dismay caused among the frontier 
settlers, 334 ; Paxton and Tulpehocken refugees at Ephrata, 335 ; Murders 
committed by the Indians, 335; Block-house erected at Lancaster, 336 ; In- 
habitants of Jjancaster county petition the Assembly for a militia law, 337 j 
Scalping parties, 338 ; War suspended against the Indians, 338 ; Prepera„ 
lions made to repel Indian incursions, 339 ; Conrad Weiser commands nine 
companies, 339 ; French hostilities continued, 340 ; Murders committed by 
the Indians in 1757, 339 ; Indian treaties, at Lancaster and at Easton, 340 ; 
Minutes extract from, of Indian treaty, at Lancaster. 340 ; King Beaver's 
speech, 342 ; Treaty held at Easton : fifteen tribes of Indians represented ; 
Murders by Indians in Tulpehocken, 343 ; Murders committed by the In- 
dians in 1758, 344; Cumberland over-run by savages, 344 ; Inhabitants fled 
to Lancaster, &c., 345 ; Barracks erected at Lancaster, 346 ; Work-house 
erected at Lancaster, 346 ; The Irish sell to the Germans, and seat them- 
selves at Chestnut Glade, 347; Baron Stiegel lays out Manheim, 347 ; No- 
tice of the Baron, 348; Notes of variety; Emanuel Carpenter, 394. 

CHAPTER VII. 

Tendency of war, p. 350 ; Hostilities continued, 351 ; Lancaster county 
exposed to Indian incursions, 352; Treachery of the Concstoga Indians, 
352; Paxton and Donegal Rangers watch the Indians closely, 359 ; Indian 
villagers massacred, 356 ; Those abroad taken under protection by the mag- 
istrates of Lancaster, 356 ; Governor Penn's proclamation, 357 ; The Pax- 
ton boys at Lancaster : massacre the Indians, 358 ; Governor Penn issues 
another proclamation, 360 ; The Paxton boys grow desperate, and " show 
up some Indian," 362 ; Resort to Philadelphia, 363 ; Their non-commenda- 
ble conduct there, 363 ; They return peaceably to their homes, leaving two 
of their number to present their grievances to the Assembly, 365; Robert 
Fulton, 366; B. S. Barton, 367; Notes of variety. 

CHAPTER VIIL 

Hail storm, p. 369 ; Proceedings, &c. by the citizens of Lancaster county 
touching the usurpation of Parliament, in Great Britain, 371 ; Letter from 
the committee of correspondence at Philadelphia, 372 ; Meeting at the court 
house in Lancaster, 373 ; Copy of a circular letter trom Philadelphia, 376 ; 
Meeting called at Lancaster, 378 ; Subscriptions opencil for the relief of tha 
suffering Bostonians, 380; Letters from Philadelphia, 382 ; Meeting called, 
to be held at Lancaster, 383 ; Committee appointed, 384 ; Meeting held, 
385 ; Letter from Reading, 387 ; Meeting of the committee of inspection, 
&c., 388 ; CJommittee men from different townships meet at Lancaster, 395 ; 
Their proceedings, &c. &c. 395. 



11 

CHAPTER IX. 

Coui'se of the mother country objectionp.ble, p. 404; Military convention 
at Lancaster, 405 ; Daniel Roberdeun and James Ewing elected Brigadier 
Generals, 407; Resolutions passed and adopted, 407; Committee of safety: 
convention to form the first State Constitution, 408; Pennsylvania and Lan- 
caster county active, 409 ; Numerous incidents, &c. in Lancaster county 
during the Revolution, 410 ; Generd Wayne's head quarters and correspon- 
dence with his Excellency, Thomas Wharton, President of the Executive 
Council of Pennsylvania, 411 ; ("ongress repairs from Philadelphia to Lan- 
caster, thence to York, 490; Military meeting at Manheim, 421 ; Surviving 
Revolutionary soldiers: Philip Meek, 323; John Ganter, 424 ; George 
Leonard, Peter Mauerer, Peter Shindle, Jacob Hoover, 425; Notes, 426. 

CHAPTER X. 

Lancaster county after the Revolution, 427; Germans and those of Ger- 
man extraction; views on education, 427; Franklin college established, 428; 
First board of Trustees, 428; Rcichenbach: New Jerusalem Cnurch ; the 
twelve articles received by that church, 429 ; Improvements great in the 
county, 433; Columbia laid out, 433 ; Lancaster city, seat ot government 
434; Late war: moans of Lancaster county, 434; Notes of variety, 435. 

CHAPTER XL 

Education : — Preliminary remarks: Importance of general education, p_ 
436 ; Views of colonists, 437 ; Mennonites' views of education, 438 ; Scotcii 
and Irish settlers, made at first little preparation, <fec= till 1798, 439 ; First 
schools in the tovv^n of Lancaster, 440 ; Lutheran and German Reformed 
churches have schools under their auspices, 440 ; Rev. M. Schlatter, indefat- 
igable in his efforts to e&toblish schools, 443 ; Extract from Ccetuale pro- 
ceedings of 1760, 442; Trustees and managers of pubUc schools, 443; 
Germans patriotic, modest and unassuming, &c. 443 ; Ludwig Hacker es« 
tablishes a Sabbath school at Ephrata, 444 ; German classical school at 
Ephrata, 445 ; Academy at Ephrata, 445 ; Academy at Litiz, &c. 445, 446 ; 
^^elect Academy at Lancaster, 446 ; Franklin college, &c. 447 ; Private 
schools and Academies in various parts of the county, 448 ; An act for the 
education of children in the borough of Lancaster, 448 ; The Mechanics' 
Society, 450 ; Classical Academy : Lancaster County Academy : Classical 
Academies in the county, 451, 453 ; Seminaries: Common Schools: Sab- 
bath Schools Lyceums, &c. 453. 

CHAPTER XIL 

RELTt7io:;s Denominations. — Early missionaries among the Conestoga 
and other Iriaiaas, p. 455 ; The Mennonites, 356 ; The Friends «nd Qua- 



kers, 457 ; The Ornish or Amish, 457 ; The Episcopalians, 457 ; The Pres- 
byterians, 457 ; The German Baptists, 458; The German Seventh Day 
Baptists, 458 ; The Lutherans, 458 ; The German Reformed, 459 ; The 
United Brethren or Moravians, 461; The Roman Catholics, 461; The 
Methodist Episcopal, 461 ; The New Jerusalem Church, 462 ; The Evan- 
gelical Association, 462; The Reformed Mennonites, 462 ; The Universal- 
ists; TheSeceders; The United Brethren; The Church of God; The 
Calvanistic Baptists, 463; The Mormons, '' Millerites" and African 
Churches, 464. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Geology of Lancaster County, p. 485 ; Natural History, 467 ; Mamma- 
lia, 470 ; Reptilia, 471 ; Ophidia, 471 ; Sauria, 472 ; Amphibia, 472 ; Pis- 
ces, 472; Coleoptera, 474 ; Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Neuroptera, Hymenop- 
tera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, 478 ; Mollusca, 479 ; Helicidae, 481 ; Unionidae, 

CHAPTER XIV, ^ 

Catalogue of the Filicoid and Flowering Plants of Iiancaster county, 483. 
List of Birds, by Libhart, 508. 

Appendix. — A. The Maryland and Pennsylvania boundary Ime. B. 
James Le Tort. C. The Huguenots. 



HISTORY OF LAxNCASTER COUNTY. 



INTRODUCTORY PART: 

FROM THE EAKJLIBST 3ETTT.emf.NTS in PENNSYLVANIA, 

TO THE FIRST SETTLEMENTS MADE WITHIN THE 

PRESENT LIMITS OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 



CHAPTER I. 

Colonization, remarks on — Purchases made from the Aborigines — In New 
England — By Calvert — By Roger Williams — By the Swedes — By Car- 
teret— Penn follows their example — Early settlements on Delaware bay 
and river — Swedes supplanted by the Dutch — Dutch triumph short — 
Delaware taken possession of by the English— Penn purchases New 
Castle. 

From History it is evident that the formation of Colo- 
nies, which is among the oldest occurrences recorded, or 
handed down by tradition, was owing to various causes, 
and different circumstances. Perhaps the avaricious 
desire of man as an individual to increase his possessions, 
and collectively as a nation to enlarge his domains, by 
extending the boundaries of empire, and to secure a 
country acquired by the right of discovery, taken by 
conquest, or otherwise obtained, is a leading, among 
many causes, of colonization. 

Colonies have been the consequences from emigration, 
and which was either owing to a great increase of popu- 
lation at home, in a limited territory; or, produced by 
"civil, as well as religious oppression. Phoenecia and 



14 HISTORY 09 

Greece, maratime states, possessing as they did, a limited 
territory, would naturally have to resort to emigration.— 
Commercial enterprize led as much to colonization as any 
one single cause. 

Many of the Colonies of North America were the 
consequences of emigration, either voluntary, or produced 
by religious persecution, in the Fatherland, where many 
an aching heart yearned after a place of peace and 
repose, where in obedience to the dictates of a quickened 
conscience, strains of worship, praises of the Almighty, 
might be poured forth unmolestedly. 

The Colonies established by the Carthagenians, were 
made through conquest and for the purpose of keeping 
the country in subjection. The policy of the Romans 
was, in the earliest ages of the republic, of sending out 
colonies to the conquered nations, to enforce the authority 
of the mother country upon the vanquished people. — 
Their colonies, in this respect, differed essentially from 
many others; and have very appropriately been called 
Die Roemische BesatzungeUy the outposts of Rome. — 
The Venetian system of colonies in Candia and Cyprus, 
resembled that of Rome. The limits of this chapter will 
not permit enlargement. 

A principle had obtained in, Europe, that a new dis- 
covered country belonged to the nation, whose people 
first discovered it. Eugene IV. and Alexander VI. suc- 
cessively granted to Portugal and Spain all the countries 
possessed by infidels, which should be occupied by the 
industry of their subjects, and subdued by the force of 
their arms. The colonies, established in North America, 
were founded upon more equitable principles. In almost 
every instance, possession of the country was taken with 
the least possible injury to the aborigines. Lands were 
purchased from tlie natives. It had been, according to 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 15 

Belknap, a common thing in New England to make fair 
and regular purchases from the Indians; many of their 
deeds are still preserved in the public records. Nume- 
rous instances, showing that the purchases were made 
from the Indians, might be quoted; a few must suffice. 

The noble hearted, who were not allured by the love 
of conquest, and the power of wealth, in their efforts to 
colonize, purchased the right of possession from the sons 
of the forest. Calvert, a Roman Catholic, when he 
planted his colony, 1634, in the province of Maryland, 
commenced with an act of justice, of which the natives 
of that State may well be proud ; he purchased of the 
savage proprietors, a right to the soil, before he took pos- 
session ; for a compensation with which the Indians were 
satisfied.* 

Roger Williams, a baptist, on his expulsion from Mas- 
sachusetts, in 1636, went to Seconk, where he procured 
a grant of land from Osamaquin, the chief Sachem of 
Pokanot. He honestly purchased their land, and a suf- 
ficiency of it, for his little colony; he was uniformly 
their friend, and neglected no opportunity of ameliorat- 
ing their condition, and elevating their character.! The 
Swedes, landing at Inlopen, 1637 or 1638, on the west- 
ern shore of the Delaware Bay, proceeded up the river, 
opened communications with the Indians; 3ind purchased 
from them the soil upon the western shore, from the 

*Haw's Contribution, I. 23. fHolmes' Annals, L 233. 

Note. — In Roger Williams' Life, published by J. Knowles, 
in 1834, it is stated that Aquedueck Island, now Rhode Island, 
was ceded or sold to him for forty fathoms of white beads, 
then the currency of the country, by the realm owner 
Canonicus, King of the Naragansets, because he was a good 
man and a friend of the Indians, having settled among them in 
1634, at Mochasuck, now Providence— MSS. 14. 



16 HISTORY OF 

capes to the falls at Sankikans, opposite to the present 
city of Trenton. "They maintained a harmonious in- 
tercourse with the natives, acknowledging the right of 
soil to he in the aborignes. They not only scrupulously 
refrained from injuring them, but cultivated their friend- 
ship by acts of justice, and kindness in supplying their 
necessities:" they aimed in the spirit of the gospel, by 
friendly means, to civilize and win them over to the 
christian faith. 

Philip Carteret, appomted in 1665, as Governor of 
New Jersey, "purchased from the Indians their titles to 
all the lands which were occupied. This proceeding 
was afterwards approved by the proprietaries, who thea 
established the rule, that all lands should be purchased 
from the Indians, by the Governor and Council, who 
were to be re-imbursed by the settlers, in proportion to 
their respective possessions.''* 

William Penn, the ^sole lord' of the province of Penn- 
sylvania, followed the examples of justice and modera- 
tion,) set him by former Europeans, in their magnanimous 
conduct towards the aborigines of America. Having 
thus united his example with theirs, for the imitation of 
all succeeding adventurers and settlers of colonies, he de- 
serves equal praise with those who set the example, and 
those who follow.t 

♦Frost's U. S. 130. 

f " We find that Penn had sent a letter, previous to his arrival, 
by the first colony for Pennsylvania, to the Indians, informing 
them that the Great God had been pleased to make him con- 
cerned in their part of the world, and that the king of the 
country, where he lived, had given him a province therein ; 
but that he had no desire to enjoy it without their consent; that 
he was a man of peace, and that the people whom he had sent 
were of the same disposition; but if any difference should 
happen between them, it might be adjusted by an equal num- 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 17 

Among historical writers there is a diversity of opinion 
as to the time when the first permanent settlement was 
made in Delaware. Darby, in his View of the United 
States, says, that a Swedish colony, under the auspices of 
Gustavus Adolphus, reached Delaware, 1628. Accord- 
ing to Gordon's History, Darby's assertion appears to be 
erroneous. The fact, however, that Delaware bay and 
river were explored as early as 1623, by Captain May, is 
well established. He sailed up the river as far as Glou- 
cester point, in Ncav JcrsRy, a few miles below the city 
of Camden, where he built a fort called Nassau. Accord- 
ing to Gordon, the Swedes visited Cape Henlopen, which, 
on account of its verdure and fertility, they named Para- 
dise Point, and began a settlement on the Delaware bay 
and river; having, however, previous to making their 
settlements, bought land of the measurably civilized na- 
tives.* "Their first settlement was near Wilmington, at 
tlie mouth of Christina creek, and they afterwards built 
forts at Lewistown and Tinicum isle : which last was the 
seat of government of their colony of New Sweden. — 
Here John Printz, their governor, built himself a spacious 
mansion, to which they gave the name Printz^s halV"^ 
According to Watson, the Swedes settled many other 

bar of men, chosen on both sides. With this he appointed 
commissioners to treat with the Indians, about purchasing land, 
and promised them, that he would shortly come and converse 
with them in person." Belknap^ II. 40. 

*The Indians at the Swedish settlement were very industrious 
and civilized. They sold the use of the land very cheap : 400 
acres of land for a yard of baize or a bottle of brandy. They 
had large fields of maize, beans, gourds, pumpkins, melons, 
&c., with orchards of plum and peaches. Holm confirms this, 
and even says that the squaws spun and wove cloth of yarn, 
out of nettles, and wild hemp, which Kalm called Apocynum 
cannabinum. MSS. Remarks on the early His. Pa. p. 13. 

2* 



18 HISTORY OP 

places within the present Hmits of Delaware and Penii' 
sylvania; among these maybe enumeYnied, Mocoponacaf 
the present town of Chester, Manaiung, a fort at the 
mouth of the Schuylkill. They seemed to flourish ; but 
amid their prosperity, some envied them; for it appears, 
the Dutch colonists viewed the Swedes as rivals, or in- 
truders. Notwithstanding the solemn protestations of the 
Swedes, the Dutch built a fort in 1651, at New Castle, in 
the very heart of New Sweden. Risingh, Printz's suc- 
cessor, by a well matured stratagem, displaced the intru- 
ders. This success did not daunt the Dutch; — viewed as 
an insult to them, Peter Stuyvcsant, Dutch governor, em- 
barked at New Amsterdam, with an armament consisting 
of six vessels, and seven hundred choice men ; invaded 
New Sweden; reduced the whole colony, in 1655. Al- 
though the Swedish empire was of brief destiny; the tri- 
umph of the Dulch was alike short. "In 1664, Charles 
II. of England, regardless of previous settlements by 
others, deemed it not inexpedient to grant all the large 
territory, not only of New Netherland, but New Sweden, 
to his brother, the Duke of York ; and the country was 
taken possession of by an expedition of three ships and 
six hundred men, under the command of Col. Richard 
Nichols. New Amsterdam was thenceforth called New 
York." The Duke's grant, from the Khig, also included 
New Jersey. He likewise obtained Delaware. In 1682 
William Penn purchased New Castle, and the country 
for a compass of tweive miles around it, of the Duke of 
York; and afterwards extended his purchase to Cape 
Henloptn. This country, called the Loiver Counties of 
Delaware, remained a portion of the colony of Pennsyl- 
vania, till 1 703. 



LANCASTER COUNTT. Ii^ 



CHAPTER II. 

William Penn bom — How he was made acquainted with thi» country — ^In* 
strumentil in settling West New Jersey — Obtains a charter for Pennsyl- 
vania — First purchasers embark for America — Markham's instructions — 
He holds a Treaty with the Indians — Penn arrives in America — Convenes 
an Asscmnjy at Upland — Interview with Lord Baltimore — Religious visit 
— Visits New Jersey ; the Duke of Yoik; his friends on Long Island; 
returns to Philadelphia; holds his grand Treaty with the Indians — More 
arrivals from Europe — Emigrants provide shelters — Form plantations — 
Philadelphia laid out — Counties organized^ — Second Asssembly convoked 
— Penn obliged to return to Europe. 

William Penn, the Founder of Pennsylvania, bom- 
in London, October 16, 1644, was the grand-son of Giles 
Penn, and son of Sir William, an Admiral of the Eng- 
lisi Navy. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, 
wh^re, on hearing Thomas Loe, a quaker of eminence, 
he imbibed his principles, which a few years afterwards 
he publicly professed. He was in consequence, twice 
turned out doors by his father. In 1668 he began to 
preach in public, and to write in defence of his embraced 
doctrines. For this he was twice incarcerated, and once 
brought to trial. It was during his first imprisonment 
that he wrote — No Cross, No Crown. In 1672, he 
married Gulielma Maria Springett, a lady of his religious 
principles. In 1677, he visited Holland and Germany, 
to propagate his favorite doctrines. He devoted much of 
his time to preaching, writing, and visiting several coun- 
tries on the continent, and Ireland. 

To show the reader how Penn, whom Montesquieu 
denominates the modern Lycnrgus, the real founder of 



20 HISTOKT OP 

Pennsylvania, was made acquainted with the country, it 
will be necessary to briefly notice a train of circum- 
stances which led to results of so much magnitude to the 
world, as the colonization of Pennsylvania — "the asy- 
lum of the oppressed.'^ 

In or about the year 1675, says Proud, Lord Berkeley 
sold his half of the province of New Jersey to a person 
named John Fenwick, in trust for Edward Byllinge, and 
his assigns, in consequence of which the former, this 
year, arrived with a number of passengers, in a ship 
called Griffith, from London, on a visit to his new pur- 
chase. He landed at a place, in West Jersey, situated 
upon a creek, or small river, which runs into the river 
Delaware; to which place he gave the name Salem; a 
name which both the place and creek still retain. This 
was the first English ship which came to West Jersey; 
and it was near two years before any more followed. — 
This long interval is supposed to have been occasioned 
by a disagreement between Fenwick and Byllinge; 
which was at last composed by the kind offices of Wil- 
liam Penn. 

Byllinge, having been reduced in circumstances, had 
agreed to present his interest in New Jersey to his cred- 
itors, by whose entreaty and importunity William Penn, 
though, it is said, with reluctance, was prevailed upon to 
become joint trustee with two of them,Gawen Lawrie,of 
London, and Nicholas Lucas, of Hertford, for the manage- 
ment thereof. These he invested with his own moiety of 
the province ; it being all his remainmg fortune, for the sat- 
isfaction of his creditors. Hence William Penn became 
one of the chief instruments in settling West New Jer- 
sey; and thereby acquired a knowledge of the adjacent 
country of Peimsylvania, before it had that name, oi 



LANCASTER COUNTT. 21 

was granted to him.* Having learned the advantages 
offered to settlers in West New Jersey, he spared neither 
pains nor time to point out to brethren of the same faith 
the benefits to be derived in settling here ; and, on his 
suggestions, many of them emigrated thither, pur- 
chased land, and built towns and villages, principally on 
the eastern shore of the Delaware river; and several of 
them settled as early as 1675, at Upland, now Chester, 
Kensington, and several other places, on the west bank 
of the Delaware. 

Having spent much time in the laudable employment 
of ameliorating the condition of others, he projected the 
design to colonize the country contiguous to that, which 
he had been the chief instrument to settle ; he availed 
himself of his favorite estimation, which the eminent 
services of his father had gained him, and petitioned 
King Charles H. that in lieu of a large sum of money,, 
due his father, from the government,! at the time of his 
death, letters patent might be granted him, for a tract of 
land in America, "lying north of Maryland; on the east, 
bounded by Delaware river; on the west, limited as 
Maryland; and northward, to extend as far as plantable." 

*Proud I. 136, 137. Penn despatched no less than eight hun- 
dred settlers during the year 1677 — '68, for West New Jersey; 
these were mostly Quakers and persons of property and res- 
pectability. 

fHis father, distinguished, in English History, by the con- 
quest of Jamaica, and by his conduct, discretion and courage 
in the signal battle against the Dutch in 1665, bequeathed to 
his son, a claim on the government for sixteen thousand pounds. 
Massachusetts had bought Maine for a little more than one 
thousand pounds; then, and long afterwards, colonial property 
was lightly esteemed; and to the prodigal Charles II. always 
embairassed for money, the grant of a province seemed the 
easiest mode of cancelling the debt— Barxnf. , //. 303. 



22 HISTORY oy 

His request being duly considered by the King, by 
the Privy Council, and by the Lords of the Committee 
of Trade and Plantations; and Lord North, Chief Jus- 
tice; and Sir William Jones, the Attorney General, 
having been consulted, William Penn obtained, amidst 
great opposition, a royal charter from Charles II. bearing 
date, Westminster,' March 4, 168L 

Having been, by virtue of this charter, constituted sole 
proprietary of Pennsylvania, he made sales of lands to 
adventurers, called first purchasers, who embarked 
some at London, others at Bristol, in 1681, for America, 
and arrived, " at the place where Chester now stands, on 
the 11th of December." Among these was William 
Markham, a relative of the proprietary, whom he had 
appointed deputy governor, and certain commissioners, 
with plenary powers, and instructions to confer with the 
Indians, respecting their lands, and to confirm with them 
a league of peace. From these instru;ctions, to the 
deputy governor and to the commissioners, it will be seen, 
the examples set by the New England States, by Calvert, 
Williams, by the Swedes, Carteret and others Xo pur- 
chase the right of soil from the Morigines, were 
honorably followed by Penn, notwithstanding the principle 
which had obtained among European nations, " to wrest 
the soil by force^^ from the people to whom it naturally 
belonged. It needs scarce repetition, in this place, to state, 
" it has been erroneously supposed that Marhham, or 
Penn, was the first rnan ivho j^urchased lands from the 
Moriginal Americans .' /" 

Markham, in obedience to his instructions, held a treaty 
in June, 1682, with the Indians, and purchased lands 
from them, as appears from a deed, dated July 15, 1682, 
signed by Idquahon, lannottowe, Idquoqueywon, Sa- 
hoppe, for himself and Okonichon, Swampisse, Na* 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 23 

lioosey, Tomackhicko w, Weskekitt and Talawsis, Indian 
Shackamakers. Markham made several purchases pre- 
vious to the arrival of Penn, who with many of his 
friends, chiefly from Sussex, sailed for America, and 
landed at New Castle on the 27th October, 1682, where 
he was received with demonstrations of joy. Penn then 
went to Upland, now called Chester, where he convened 
an assembly on the 4th of December. This body, dur- 
ing a session of three days, enacted several important 
laws, one of which was an act to naturalize the Dutch, 
Swedes, and other foreigners. 

Penn was devoted to the interest of the colony; he 
lost no time in delays. No sooner, according to Gordon, 
had the assembly adjourned, than Penn hastened to 
Maryland, to see Lord Baltimore, who had set up 
claims, arising from an indistinctness of grant, touch- 
ing the boundary lines between the two provinces, which 
caused much disquiet to the border colonists — with the 
intention, if possible to adjust the difficulties, he spent 
several days, without being able to effect the object of 
his interview with Lord Baltimore. The negotiation 
was postponed till next spring.* The dispute was 
finally settled, in 1762! Penn spent some time in 
Maryland 5 in religious visits^ and then returned to 
Chester. 

*Lord Bahimore relied on the priority and distinctness of 
his own title ; while Penn defended a later and more indistinct 
grant, on a plea which had been suggested to him by the 
Committee of Plantations of England — that it had never been 
intended to confer on Lord Baltimore any other territory but 
such as was inhabited by savages only, at the date of his 
charter; and that the language of the charter was, therefore, 
inconsistent with its intendent, in so far as it seemed to au- 
thorize his claim to any part of the region previously colonized 
by the Swedes and Dutch — Graham^ II. 341 ; also, See Ap- 
pendix A. 



24 aiSTORY O? 

'^^From Chester, tradition describes the journey of 
Penn to have been continued with a few friends, in an 
open boat, in the earliest days of November, to the 
beautiful bank, fringed with Pine trees, on which the 
city of Philadelphia was soon to rise." The following 
weeks, Penn, from a natural impulse, visited New Jersey, 
New York, the metropolis of his neighbor proprietary, 
the Duke of York, and, after meeting friends on Long 
Island, he returned to the banks of the Delaware. 

To this period belongs his first grand treaty with the 
Indians. It was held contiguous to Philadelphia. — 
Here, Penn, with a few friends, met the numerous dele- 
gation of the Lenni Lenape tribes. Here he confirmed 
what he had promised the Indians through Markham; 
under the bleak, frost-shorn forest, Penn proclaimed to 
the men of the Algonquin race, from both banks of the 
Delaware, from the borders of the Schuylkill, and it may 
be, for the news had. spread far and wide, that the 
Quaker King was come, even to Mengwis from the 
shores of the Susquehanna, the message of peace and 
love, which George Fox had professed before Cromwell, 
-and Mary Fisher had borne to the Grand Turk. "The 
English and Indians should respect the same moral law, 
should be alike secure in their pursuits, and in their 
possessions, and adjust every difference by a peaceful 
tribunal, composed of an equal number of men from 
each race." 

"We meet, said Penn, on the broad pathway of good 
faith, and good will; no advantage shall be taken on 
either side, but all shall be openess and love. I will not 
call you children ; for parents sometimes chide their chil- 
dren too severely; nor brothers only; for brothers differ. 
The friendship between me and you, I will not compare 
to a chain ; for that the rains might rust, or the falling 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 25 

tree might break. We are the same, as if one man's 
body tvere divided into two parts; we are all one flesh 
and one blood." 

These touches of pathetic eloquence, clothed by the 
sacredness of that sound doctrine which flowed from the 
speaker, reached their understandings, affected their 
hearts, assuaged their revenge, and removed their guile- 
They received the presents of Penn with more than mere 
formality, it was with sincere cordiality ; they accepted his 
gifts, and in friendship gave him the belt of wampum. 
^We, exclaimed they, as with a sound of many waters, 
will live in love with William Penn and his children, as 
long as the moon and the stm shall endure." 

This treaty of peace and friendship Was made under 
the open sky, by the side of the Delaware, with the sun, 
the river, and the leafless fore^, for witness. It was 
not confirmed by an oath : it was not ratified by signa- 
tures and seals : no Written record of the conferences can 
be found; and its terms and conditions, had no abiding 
monument but on the heart.* There they were written 
like the law of God, and were never forgotten. The 
artless sons of the wilderness, returning to their wigwams 
and their cabins, would count over shells on a clean piece 
of bark, and recall to their memory, and repeat to their 
children, or to the stranger, the words of the Quaker 
King. This treaty, executed without oath, was inviola- 
bly kept for forty six years, on the part of the natives.t 

It has been well observed that the benevolence of Wil- 
liam Penn's disposition led him to exercise great tender- 
nesstowards the tawny sons of the woods, which, however, 
was much increased by the opinion he had formed, and 
which he boldly and ingenuously avowed, supporting it 

♦Bancroft, II. 882. f Col. Rcc. III. 301-350. 

3 



26 HISTORY OP 

by plausible inductions, that they were the ten dispersed 
tribes of Israel.* He travelled into the country, visited^ 
them in their cabins, was present at their feasts, conversed 
"with them in a free and familiar manner, and gained their 
affections by his affability, and repeated acts of generosity. 
On public occasions, he did not forget the dignity of his 
station; he always received them with ceremony, trans- 
acted business with solemnity and becoming order. 

In one of his excursions in the winter, he found a chief 
warrior sick, and his wife preparing to sweat him^ m the 
usual manner, by pouring water on a heap of heated 
stones, in a closely covered hut, and then plunging him 
into the river, through a hole cut in the ice. To divert 
himself during the sweating operation, the chief sang the 
exploits of his ancestors, then his own, and concluded his 
song with this reflection: Why are we sick, and these 
strangers well? It seems as if they were sent to inherit 
the land in our stead ! Ah ! it is because they love the 
Great Mannitto^ — ^the Great Spirit, and we do not! — 
The sentiment was rational, and such as often occurred 
to the sagacious among the natives. It cannot have 
been disagreeable to Penn, to hear such sentiments uttered, 
whose view it was to impress them with an idea of his 
honest and pacific intentions, and to make a fair bargain 
with them. Some of their chiefs made him a voluntary 
present of the land which they claimed ; others sold it at 
a stipulated price. Penn himself described one of these 
interviews in a letter to a friend of his in England.! 

The same year Penn arrived, there was quite an ac- 
cession; between twenty and thirty ships landed with 
passengers, and the two next succeeding yeai-s settlers 
from London, Bristol, Ireland, Wales, Holland, Germany, 

*Proud, I. 259. fBelknap, II. 413. 



J-ANCASTER COUNTY. 27 

&c. arriTed to the number of about fifty sail; among 
Ihese were German Quakers, from Cresheim, near Worms, 
iii the Palatinate, The banks of the Delaware presented 
motion and life. "On landing, they set bustling about to 
procure shelter. Some lodged in the woods in hollow 
trees, some under the extended boughs of trees, some in 
caves which were easily dug on the high banks of the 
Wissahickon and the Delaware, and others in haste 
erected huts. They were abundantly supplied with 
i/rood, water, and fertile land.'' Nor had they been for- 
getful to bring with them, the necessary implements for 
building and husbandry. Having now housed, treed, or 
caved, their provisions and portable property, under such 
shelter as they could find, or had provided, some were 
procuring warrants of survey for taking up so much 
land as was sufficient for immediate settling, "others 
went diversely further into the woods where their lands 
were laid out; often without any path or road, to direct 
them, for scarce any were to be found above two miles 
from the water side ; not so much as any mark or sign o^ 
any European having been there. All the country, fur- 
tlier than about two miles from the river, except the 
Indians' movable settlements, was an entire wilderness, 
producing nothing for the support of human life, but "the 
wild fruits and animals of the woods."* 

They soon formed plantations of Indian corn and wheat. 
The forest furnished deer, rabits, squirrels, young bears, 
wild turkeys of enormous size, pigeons; the rivers 
abounded with fish, such as sturgeons, shad, rock, her- 
ring, perch, trout, salmon; the fruits of the woods were 
diestnuts, grapes of diverse sorts; walnuts, cranberries. 
«The first settlers endured some hardships, it is true, but 

*Proud, I. 220. 



^8 HISTORY OF 

they were in a rich country, and their knowledge of re- 
sources, and of the free institutions which they were 
about to transmit to their posterity, enabled them to 
conquer all difficulties,"* 

^•At the close of the year 1682, according to Gordon^ 
the proprietary, with the assistance of his Surveyor 
General, Thomas Holme^ proceeded to lay out his 
promised city, Philadelphia. Diu'ing the first year 
eighty houses were erected in tlie city, and an equitable 
and profitable trade opened with the Indians. The 
Governor chose his own residence in a manor, which he 
called Pemisbury, situated a few miles below the falls of 
the Delaware, and about twenty-five from the city, 
where he built a large and convenient brick house, 
having an extensive hall for his Indian conferences.'^ 

"The survey of the country inhabited by Eui'opeans 
having been completed,, the proprietary, in 1682, divided 
it into six comities; three in the province of Pennsyl- 
vania and the hke nmnber m the territory of Delaware. 
Philadelphia, Bucks, and Chester, in Pennsylvania — and 
NcAvcastle, Kent, and Sussex, in Delaware. The county 
organization was completed by the appointment of 
sheriffs and other officers." t 

The state of affairs rendered it necessary for a second 
assembly^ to be convoked, which met at Philadelpliia^ 

♦Frost. 

fThe sheriffs of each county in Pennsylvania^ were» for 
Philadelphia county, John Tost; for Bucks, Richard Noble; 
for Chester, Thomas Usher. 

^Members of the second assembly, for Chester county, 
were, John Hoskins, Robert Wade, George Wood, John 
Blunston, Dennis Rochford, Thomas Bracy, John Bezer, Joha 
Harding, Joseph Phipps. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 29 

March 12th, 1683. During this session Penn created a 
second frame of government, differing in some points 
from the former, to which the assembly readily assented. 
They also enacted a variety of salutary regulations, by 
which the growing prosperity of the province was pro- 
moted, and its peace and order preserved. In 1684, the 
province and territories were divided into twenty-two 
townships, containing 7,000 inhabitants, of whom 2,500 
resided in Philadelphia.* This city already comprised 
three hundred houses." 

On information received from his agent that his 
presence was needed in England, and another addi- 
tional cause, his dispute with Lord Baltimore, Penn 
sailed for Europe, August 16, 1684; leaving the province 
under the government of five commissioners, chosen 
from the Provincial council. Previous to his departure 
he had made, according to Oldmixon, a league of amity 
with nineteen Indian nations, between them and all the 
English America 

*J6hn Key, born 1682, in a cave, long afterwards known by 
the name of Penny-pot, near Sassafras street, was the first 
child born of English parents in Philadelphia, in compliment 
of which William Penn gave him a lot of ground ; he died at 
Kennet, in Chester county, July 5^ 1767, aged 85 years. — 

3* 



30 HI8T0IIT OF 



CHAPTER III. 



Tiruii' Blu'tc.h of Iho IliHlory of IViniHytfaAiav from 1684 to 1699 — Pro^ 
viiicial Exrculivc'H IVoiii lOH-l to U)l)l> — BouudaricB of Cheater countj 
dtitcriiiiiicd — IncroaHc of pojiulalioii — First jiiills in Chester county — 
1*(5Iuj'h I'iWnl to ijii[)n)vc the condition of tlio natives — Elforls to christianize 
the Indians — IVjui's new treaty with lSua(juehanna, Shawaneae and' 
Gunuwesu, &.c. nations — A new form of Governuient franxKl — Pena 
appoints Anf]rew IJainilton, Deputy Clovcrnor — JiSaili* for England. 

As il, will hv. nccossiiry to occasionally rcciar to the- 
main liislory oF Pcniiisylvania, and in order to preserve 
s<)nn5 coniKiC'tion in the narrative of events of the pcriot! 
l)ctw(;en Penn's d(!parture, in 1684, for ]Ouropc-, and liia 
return, in 1G99, to America, a brief historical sketch of 
that time is given, tlioiii^h some of the incidents con- 
nected with the early S(;ltlements of Lancaster comity,, 
and to which the order of time has not yet brought u.'v 
are thereby anticipated. 

Soon afl(^r Penn's return to England, Charles II. died, 
Kel)rn:ny (>, KiSl — 5; and James II. ascended tho 
throiuv, wiio was proelainKul King in the province, May 
2(i, IGHf). "Penn's atta(;hment to the Stuart family 
induced him to adhere to tliis niiforluiiate monarch till 
long after his fall;* and lor two years after the revolu- 
tion which i)la(UMl VVilliiun, Prince of Orange, and Mary, 
the daughter of James, on the throne, tin; province was 
administered in the name of Jamcis. 'J'his could not fail 
to draw down the indignation of King WilUam on the 
devot(Hl head of the proprietary, who suffered nnich 
persecution for his uiiilinching loyalty. He was four 

•Junios abdicatocJ, and went to France, December 2^, 
Him.—Wair's ChronoL 



LANCASTER C0T7NTT* 31 

limes imprivsoncd. The King took the government of 
Pennsylvania into his own hands; and appointed Colonel 
Fletcher to administer the government of Ihu- province, 
«A well as that of New York. It at length became 
apparent to the King, that Penn's attachment to the 
Stuarts was merely personal, and not attended with any 
treasonable designs; and he was restored to favor. — 
lieing permitted to resume and exercise his rights, he 
appointed William Markhaui to be his Deputy Go- 
vernor."* 

"In 1G99, the assembly complained to Governor 
Markham of a breach of their chartered privileges; and 
ill consequence of their remonstrance, a bill of settle- 
ment, proposed and passed by the assembly, was ap- 
proved by the Governor, forming the third frame of 
government of Pennsylvania. This constitution was 
»riore democratic than the former." 

*'In 1699, T^^nn again visited his colony, accompanied 
by his family, with the design of spending the remainder 
of his life among his people. He was disappointed, 
however, by finding the colonists dissatisfied with the 
existing slate of things. Negro slavery, and the inter- 
course with the Indian tribes, were the subjects of much 

♦Provincial Executives during Penn's absence: 

1. Council and President, Thomas Lloyd, from August, 
1084, to December, 1088. 

2. John Blackwell, Deputy Governor, from December, 1688, 
to February, 1689. 

3. Council and President, Thomas Lloyd, from 1689, to 
April, 169:3. 

4. Benjamin Fletcher, Governor, from April, 1693, to Jun«, 
1903. 

5. William Markham, Deputy Goremor, from June, 1693,10 
1099, when Penn arrived. 



^ HISTORY OF 

unpleasant altercation between the proprietary and the 
colonists. Certain laws which he proposed for regulat- 
ing these affairs, were rejected by the assembly. His 
exertions, in recommending a liberal system to his own 
sect, were attended with better success, and the final 
abolition of slavery, in Pennsylvania, was ultimately 
owing to these powerful influences."* 

The proprietary, previous to his departure for Eng- 
land, had divided the lower part of Pensylvania, into 
tliree counties, viz : Philadelphia, Bucks and Chesterj and 
cast the comities into townships , /or large lots of land;^ 
but, as appears from the Colonial Records, did not so 
clearly define and precisely fix upon the boundaries of 
the counties, as to prevent, among peaceable quakers 
themselves, subsequent misunderstandings. . 

The boundaries of Chester county, especially its en- 
largement, had been made the subject of more than a 
mere transient conversation. Penn, in a discourse, a few 
days before he left the province, did declare "upon the 
banlc (Delaware) by John Simcock's house,$ to John 

•Frost's U: S. 139, 140. 

fit appears to have been part of the plan of William P6nn 
to have laid out the province into townships of 5,000 or 10,000 
acres, and to have surveys made within the respective bounda- 
ries of such townships ; and that purchasers of large tracts 
might lie together; he accordingly introduced this clause into 
his warrant. "According to the method of townships ap- 
pointed by me." This plan was not long pursued — Smith's 
Laws, 11. 140. 

I John Simock lived in Chester county. He was a man of 
good education; was one of the proprietor's first eommis- 
aioners of property, and one of his most trusty friends in the 
government. He was a Quaker preacher. — He died January 
27, 1702. 



LANCASTER COUNTT. 33 

Blunston and others, when he was moved to decide, 
how the bounds of Chester county were to be run, so as 
to enlarge the hmits or boundary thereof; being at that 
time but a small tract of land not above nine miles 
square. Owing, however, to his departure, being press- 
ingly urged to return for Europe, nothing definite was 
then done as to the enlargement of the county of 
Chester. In 1685, the council having seriously weighed 
and considered the same, ordered the bomids to be 
established.* 

Although Chester county had been partly settled be- 
fore Penn arrived the first time ; and notwithstanding his 
benevolent spirit, in looking more to moral worth and 
fitness in inviting emigrants of every peculiarity of 
creed to his province, it, nevertheless, appears that 
Chester county, with its limited territory, was only 
Ihmly seated, prior to 1689. The smallness of tract of 
land, and its sparse population, were then urged, by the 
inhabitants of the county, as a consideration to the Go- 
rernor and council for enlargement, as will appear from 
their humble petition, in 1689. 

"The humble petition of ye Justices of Chester 
county, in the behalfe of themselves and inhabitants of 
ye said county, sheweth : 

That whereas, ye said county is but a small tract of 
land, not nine miles square, and but thhily seated^ 
whereby ye said county is not able to support the charge 
thereoff ; vpon our humble request to the Proprietor and 
Governor, and his serious consideration of our weak 
conditions, was pleased out of compassion to vs, to grant 
an enlargement of ye same, in manner following, viz : 
to runn vp ffrom Dellaware river, along Darby Mill 

»Col. Rec.1.74. 



J4 HISTORY OF 

creek, ye severall courses thereof, vntill they took in 
Radnor and Herford townshipps then downe to the 
Skoulkill; then vp wards along the several courses there- - 
off, without limmitt. 

Therefore, wee humbly pray you will be pleased t©^ 
confirme ye said bounds, wherebye the coimty of Chester 
may be in some measure able to defray their necessary 
charge, and wee shall, as in duty bound.'^* 

It was signed by John Blunston, Thomas Brassie,, 
Randell Vernon, Caleb Pusey, Thomas Usher. The 
prayer of the petitioners was considered at several 
councils, viz : March 25 and 26, 1689. Some time in 
1693, the petitioners,. inhabitants of Chester county, who 
had sufferred long for the want of the division, between 
the county of New Castle, State of Delav/are, and 
Chester county, having again prayed the council to adjust 
bounds, a temporary division between the two counties 
was ordered to be made, August 9, 1.69 3.t The 
boundaries of the county extended indefinitely west- 
ward, and remained unchanged till Lancaster and Berks 
were successively formed. 

The increase of inhabitants. in the colony and' in Ches- 
ter county, between the time of adjusting the boundary 
between New Castle and Chester and Penn's second 
arrival, was considerable;; gradually augmenting the 
population ; and the settlement extended to Brandy wine 
creek; where, tO; meet the wants of the people, Corne- 
lius Empson, as early as l'6S9^ erected a mill;; being, as 
it is believed, the second mill erected in the county of 
Chester;: Karkus's mill having been erected about 1681. 

It has been stated that Penn was not successful in his 

•Col. Rec. J. 221. fCol. Rec. I. 340, 345. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 35 

jptvtempts to obtain legislative restrictions upon the inter- 
course with the Indians to prevent shameful practices 
upon these poor creatures, by unprincipled whites, whose 
conduct was occasionally beastly; not satisfied with 
sellmg them all manner of spirituous liquors for the sake 
of gain, but would frequently disgrace themselves and 
their wretched victims.* His not succeeding in having 
legislative co-operation, to prevent their temporal ruin, 
he was determined to improve their condition ; he paid 
the sons of the forest a visit, participating in all their 
iimocent amusements, and in turn received their visits at 
his own house at Pennsbury.t He co-operated with his 
friends, who, as early as 1685, signalized by an attempt 
with the annual meeting of their society at Burlington, 
in New Jersey, to communicate the knowledge of 
christian truth to the Indians. With what success, may 
be learned from Proud's statement : " that the Indians in 
general acknowledged at that time, what they heard was 
very wise, weighty and true; and never afterwards 
thought about it." So far as is known to us, the Quaker 
Missionaries have kept no particular accounts of the 
the number of Indian converts to Quakerism. There is 
no doubt that the savages acceded readily to the con- 
ferences that were proposed to them, and listened with 
their usual gravity and decorum to the sedate Quaker ; 
who, in professing to obey the command of the Saviour, 
" to teach and baptize all nations ^^ ever ventured to 
teach them that baptism was not an ordinance of divine 

*See a case, Col. Rec. I. 96. 

fPenn, at a former treaty, had promised the Shawanesc 
Chief, protection. "To enable him to fulfil this promise, he 
visited them in person at Conestogo, attended by many geo- 
tiemen of distinction."— CoZ. R(c. JI. 253. 



56 HISTORY OF 

or christian appointment! Indian converts to Christi- 
anity, if history be true, have been gained in America by 
Catholics, Puritans, Moravians, Baptists, &c.;* but no 
records are extant, showing the probable number of 
conversions of Indians to Christianity, by Quakers, 
though it is admitted, some of the Friends preached 
with much freedom to them. 

Penn, in 1700, formed a new treaty with the Susque- 
hanna, the Shawanese, the Ganawese,t and tribes of the 
Five Nations. This treaty provided for perpetual peace 
and good officers between the parties, confirmed to the 
Indians the benefits, and subjected them to the penalties 
of the English law, in their intercourse with the whites : 
it stipulated that both parties should refuse credence to 
imauthorized reports of hostility intended by either: that 
the Indians should never suffer strange tribes to settle in 
any part of the province without permission from the 
Governor : that no European should engage in the Indian 
trade without the license of the government ; and lastly, 
ill the neighberhood of the Conestogo, should be con- 

• According to Stiles' Literary Diary, there were in 1696, 
thirty Indian churches in New England. — Holmes, 1, 459. 

fThe Piscatawise, or Ganawese, having renioved nearer the 
Susquehanna Indians, in 1698, met William Penn in council 
in May, 1701, and entered into new articles of agreement; 
the Susquehanna Indians became sureties for their peaceable 
behavior.— Proud I. 4^.— Col. Rec. II. 9-12. 

"William Penn permitted the Piscatawese or Ganawese, to 
remove higher up the Potomoc, within his claim; "Sind tradi- 
tion says, he purchased their right of soil on the Potomoc, to 
strengthen his demand on Lord Baltimore. "•—£««. Intell <Sf 
Jhur. 

^(jordon. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 37 

firmed.* In the spirit of this treaty, the Provincial 
Council formed a company of traders exclusively au- 
thorized to repress the inebriety of the nations, and to 
impress upon them a sense of the christian reUgion by 
examples of probity and candor. 

While busily employed in promoting the temporal 
welfare of the Indians, and improving the condition of 
the colonists, he received intelligence from England that 
measures were agitated to reduce all the proprietary 
governments in America to royal ones, which induced 
him to change his mind, and he at once determined to 
return to Europe, as soon as he had some frame of 
government firmly established. The assembly met 
September 15, 1701. A form of government was estab- 
lished, that gave the representatives of the people the 
right of originating laws, which was before solely vested 
in the Governor: it allowed the Governor the veto 
power on bills passed by the assembly: also the right of 
appointing his council, and of exercising the whole ex- 
ecutive power. Soon after the formation of this frame 
of government, Penn returned to England. He sailed 
from Philadelphia, November 1st, 1701; before his de- 
parture, he appointed Andrew Hamilton, Esq., Deputy 
Governor, and James Logan, Secretary of the province 
and clerk of the council. 

*Proud. 



38 HISTORY or 



CHAPTER IV, 



Prince William dies — Anne aacends the throne — Penn in favor with her—* 
State of affairs in the province — Disquiet among the Indians — Messenger 
aent to the Conestogo Indians — Secretary of Council and Sheriff of 
Chester and New Castle are sent to them — Thomas Chalk ley preaches 
at Conestogo — Governor visits the Conestogo Indkns — Indian Eloquence 
— Gov. Evans' strange character, and second journey to the Susquehanna 
— Governor's journal of his interview with the Indians — Nicole appre- 
hended at Pixtan, conveyed to Philadelphia and imprisoned. 

In the preceding chapter the reason of Penn's hasten- 
ing to England is stated. He arrived there about the 
middle of December, 1701. At home he had sufficient 
influence to arrest the bill in its progress, for changing 
the proprietary governments, in America, mto royal 
ones. 

The reigning Prince, William III. died January 18, 
1702; and was succeeded by the Princess Anne of Den- 
mark, during whose reign Pennsylvania received aug- 
mented accessions. Penn became her favorite. She 
greatly promoted his interest. Though he basked in her 
favor, he was not protected against the storms of 
political life. He was harrassed by complaints on the 
part of the provincialists, on account of the appointment 
of his Deputy Governor, Evans, whom he had, on the 
death of Mr. Hamilton, constituted as his successor.* 

*Mr. II. died at Amboy, whilst on a visit to his family, who 
resided at that place, April 20, 1703. It was this year that the 
representatives of the territory of Pennsylvania persisting in 
an absolute refusal to join with those of the province in legis- 
lation, it was now agreed and settled between them, that they 
should compose distinct assemblies, entirely independent of 
each other, pursuant to the liberty allowed by a clause in the 
charter. — Holmes, I. 485. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 39 

The state of things in the province was such as to em- 
bitter Hamilton's brief administration, by the disputes of 
the assembly. Evans, whose life and conduct were 
objectionable, was re-called, and superseded by the 
appointment of Charles Gookin, as Governor, who 
arrived in March, 1709. He continued in office till 1717. 
During his administration, the first permanent settlements 
were made within the present limits of Lancaster, then 
Chester county.* 

Though no actual settlements had been made, prior to 
1708, or 1709, in Lancaster county, a few whites had 
their abodes among the Indians on the Susquehanna. — 
These were Indian traders, viz : Joseph Jessop, James Le 
Tort, [t] Peter Bezalion, Martin Chartier, all Frenchmen, 
the latter had lived, prior to 1704, long among the 
Shawanah Indians, and upon the Susquehanna ;"§ and 
one Mitchel, a Swiss.:]: Nicole Godin, an active young 
fellow, but rather a sneak, and one Francois. These, 
however, had no license to trade among and with the 
Indians. 

It appears from a French letter, from Madame Letort, 
tlie French woman at Conestogo, directed to Edmund 
Ffarmer, bearing date 15th March, 1703-4, that the 
Towittois Indians had come down and cut off the two 
families of neighbor Indians at Conestogo, and that they 
were all there under great apprehensions of further mis- 
chief from them, and were preparing to demand succor 

♦Lancaster county originally formed part of Chester, from 
which it was separated in 1729. 

[f] See Appendix B. 

{SeeCol. Rec. n.l33. 

$He had been sent out by the Canton of Berne, Switzerland, 
to search for vacant land. 



40 HISTORY OP 

of the government in case the disorders should be 
continued.* 

''The subject, mentioned in the letter, was considered 
in council, March 22d; and it was resolved that mes- 
sengers be forthwith despatched to Conestogoe, by way 
of New Castle, to know the truth of the information, the 
relation, as it appeared, being somewhat suspicious/^ 

So repeatedly were vague reports of Indian disturb- 
ances from this quarter, and Indian conferences, held at 
Philadelphia, that the Governor was induced to send the 
Secretaiy of the council, in October, 1705, to Conestogo. 
The Secretary, in company with the Sheriff, and Clerk 
of Chester county, and the Sheriff of New Castle, and 
Hercules Coutts, Hermanns Alricks, Edmund Shippen, 
Jr., and others, being ten in number, went to Conestogo, 
as the chief place, telling the Indians that he was come 
from the Governor of Pennsylvania, who had always 
been a friend of all the Indians within the bounds of it. — 
Among others, he would mention things of great im- 
portance at the present time, and which he must lay 
before them: 

" First, That they should take great care of giving ear 
to malicious reports, spread and carried by ill men, for 
that we heard they had been alarmed at the christians 
putting themselves in arms in all these parts and muster- 
ing; the reason of this, was the war with the French, 
and was designed rather to help than hurt them ; but, as 
they and their brethren each must be assistant to the 
other, and therefore the English took up arms to defend 
themselves, and the Indians, also, against both their ene- 
mies. That notwithstanding they ought all, as far as 

*Col. Record II. 123. — Q^This winter was remarkable, in 
Pennsylvania, for a great snow, in general about one yard 
deep. — Proud. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 41 

possible, to avoid war, for peace was most desirable, and 
war must be only for defence. '^ 

*^That we are also informed some of the Maryland 
Indians, then among them, had differed with the 
English there, and were afraid to return, or come among 
the English of that government. If so, they might 
then continue among us, till matters were fully settled, 
that our Governor would treat with the Governor of 
Maryland in their favor ; but they must not quarrel with 
any of the subjects of England, for we are all under one 
crown, and are as one people." 

In the same year (1705,) Thomas Chalkley, an emi- 
nent preacher among the Quakers, as he was visiting some 
of his brethren at Nottingham, in the province of Maryland 
had a concern, says he, on my mind to visit the Indians 
living near Susquehannagh, at Conestogoe, and I laid it 
before the elders at Nottingham meeting, with which 
they expressed their amity, and promoted my visiting 
them. We got an interpreter, and thirteen or fourteen 
of us travelled through the woods about fifty miles, car- 
rying our provisions with us, and on the journey set 
down by a river, and spread our food on the grass and 
refreshed ourselves and horses, and then went on cheer- 
fully and with good will, and much love to the poor 
Indians, and when we came they received us kindly, 
treating civilly in their way. We treated about havmg 
a meeting with them in a religious way; upon which 
they called a council, in which they were very grave, and 
spoke, one after another, without any heat or jarring — 
and some of the most esteemed of their women speak in 
their councils. I asked our interpreter, why they suf- 
fered or permitted the women to speak in their councils ? 
His answer was, "that some women were wiser than 
some men.'' 



42 HISTORY OF 

*'Our interpreter told me that they had not done any 
thing for many years without the counsels of an ancient 
grave woman; who, I observed, spoke much in their 
councils; for as I was permitted to be present at it, and I 
asked, what it was the woman said? He told me, she 
was an Empress; and they gave much heed to what 
she said amongst them; and that she then said to him, 
''' she looked upon our coming among them to be more than 
natural, because we did n->t come to buy or sell, or get 
gain, but come in love and respect to them — and 
desired their well-doing both here and hereafter ;" and 
further continued, "that our meetings among them might 
be very beneficial to their young people" — and related 
a dream which she had three days before, and interpreted 
it, viz : " that she was in London, and that London was 
the finest place that she ever saw — it was like to Phila- 
delphia; but much bigger — and she went across six 
streets, and in the seventh she saw William Penn 
})roaching to the people, which was a great multitude, 
both she and William Penn rejoiced to see each other; 
and after meeting she went to him, and he told her that 
in a little time he would come over and preach to them 
.'ilso, of which she was very glad. And now she said 
her dream was fulfilled, for one of his friends was come 
to preach to them." 

"She advised them to hear us, and entertain us 
kindly; and accordingly they did. There were two na- 
tions of them, the Scnecas and Shawanesc* 

•The Shawanese had wigwams along the bank of the Octto- 
raro creek, near the present boundary of Chester and Lancas- 
ter county. When the road, in 1719, to Christiana bridge, &c. 
wa« laid, its course was defined— "to the fording place at Oct- 
toraro, at Old Shawana town, thence over Octtoraro, along the 
Indian Path, &c.— Cowrf Records, at Chester, AugsTerm, 1'719. 



LANCASTER COUNTY, 43 

"We had first a meeting with the Senecas, with which 
they were much affected; and they called the other 
nation, viz: the Shawanese, and interpreted to them 
what we spoke in their meeting, and the poor Indians, 
and particularly some of the young men and women, 
were under a solid exercise and concern. We had also a 
meeting with the other nation, and they were all very 
kind to us, and desired more such opportunities; the 
which, I hope, Divine Providence will order them, if they 
are worthy thereof. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ was preached freely to 
them, and faith in Christ, who was put to death at Jeru- 
salem, hy the unbelieving Jews; and that this same 
Jesus came to save people from their sins, and by his 
grace and light in the soul, shows to man his sins, and 
conviiiceth him thereof; delivering him out of them, and 
gives inward peace and comfort to the soul for well-do- 
iiig; and sorrow and trouble for evil-doing; to all which 
as their manner is, gave public assent; and to that of the 
light of the soul, they gave a double assent, and seemed 
much affected with the doctrine of truth; also the 
benefit of the holy scriptures was largely opened to 
them.'' 

"After this, we returned to our respective habitations, 
thankful in our hearts to the God and Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. Several of the friends that went 
with me expressed their satisfaction in this visit, and 
offered themselves freely to go again to the like 
services.* 

♦Thomas Chalkley, wife and family, came from England to 
Pennsylvania, in 1701, where he settled and resided for upwards 
of forty years, except when absent on business. He was, 
besides, a sea-faring man ; also engaged as a minister of the 
gospel ; the discharge of duty, in this double capacity, neces- 



44 HISTORY OF 

It appears that the Indians, at Conestogo were quite 
an object of attention; fearful they might be alienated. 
Governor Evans conceived it of the utmost importance, 
under these existing circumstances* " to maintain, as far 
as possible, a perfect good understanding with the 
Indians, and to labor to keep them secure in the Queen's 
interest against the machinations used by the enemy to 
debauch them from" the people of the province. To 
effect this, he proposed, in August, 1706, the year after 
Chalkley's errand to them as messenger of Peace, to 
visit very speedily the Indians of Conestogo, and the ad- 
jacent settlement. He went, and had a personal inter- 
view with them at Conestogo; and it proved, as he 
hoped, of great service. 

It was then, perhaps, he was so eloquently addressed 
by an Indian Orator, who, as the Poet says, spake : 
*'Hos docet ore loqui facilis natura diserto ; 
Linguae grande loquens est idioma suae. 
With native eloquence their speech abounds, 
Untaught with figures grand, and lofty sounds." 
^'Father — we love quiet; we suffer the mouse to 
play ; when the leaves are rustled by the wind we fear 
not ; when the leaves are disturbed in ambush, we are 
uneasy; when a cloud obscures your brilliant sun, om* 
eyes feel dim; but when the rays appear, they give 
great heat to the body, and joy to the heart. Treachery 

sarily called him much away from his family. He was a 
successful minister — beloved and highly esteemed for his 
virtues. *'He was a man of a meek and quiet spirit; and he 
possessed an engaging sweetness, both in ministry and con- 
versation.*' While on a religious visit to the Island of Tortola, 
he died in 1741. He left behind him some religious works, 
and a Journal^ from which the above extract has been copied — 
Page, 47-51. 

*There was war, between the French and English at the 
time. 



LANCASTER COUNTr* 45 

darkens the chain of friendship, but truth makes it 
brighter than ever. This is the peace we desire.* 

The Governor and Council having been mformed of 
the treacherous and murderous conduct of Nicole and 
Francois, in their endeavors to incense the Indians, on the 
Susquehanna, against the Enghsh, it was deemed expe- 
dient that they should be visited again. 

In the summer season of 1707, Gov. Evans made 
another journey among the Indians. With what mo- 
tives he undertook this second journey, is somewhat diffi- 
cult to decide, if it should be maintained they tvere pure- 
ly patriotic. If historians have not been biased, if they 
have been accm'ate, faithful and impartial, in reporting to 
future ages his actions, he presents to the v^iorld a strange 
character; not worthy of imitation. Governors, do act 
strangely sometimes ! Of him it is recorded : 

" He increased the number of taverns, and ale houses 
fox the sake of license money, which he had doubled : 
that in his private life he was indecorous and immoral ; 
had practised aboniinatiens with the Indians at 
Cones togo; committed at his owrt country reskienee 
notorious excesses and debaucheries, not fit to be re- 
hearsed, and had beaten several of tlie peace officers^ 
wbo, ignorant of his presence, at a house of ill-fame, 
had attempted to disperse the company, at ten o'clock in 
tlie morning jt and, though by his example, he weak- 

*Lan. Intel}. & Jour. 

f " William Penn, Jr., who came with Evans from England, 
was one of the parties of this night brawl, and was indicted 
for his conduct in the eity court.. He professed the faith of the 
Church of England, but had worn, it would seem, hitherto in 
the province a quaker garb. Upon the> institution of thia 
prosecution he threw off all disguise, abandoned his quaker 
connexions, and openly proclaimed his principles.*^ — Lagan^ 



46 HISTORY OF 

ened the hands of the magistrates, he hypocritically 
caused his proclamations to be read in the churches and 
religious meetings, against the very disorders which he 
himself committed." 

''He permitted French pajnsts from Canada tO' 
trade with the Indians, and seduce them, from, the 
English in terest. ' ' * 

Having presented the reader a historical brief of his 
m,oral and political character, an account of his last 
journey, as laid before the Board in council, the 22d 
July^ 1707, is given in extenso, in these words: "The 
Governor, with Messrs. John French, Wm. Tonge^ 
Mitchel Bezaillion, Gray, and fomr servants, set out from 
New Castle the 27th of June, and the next morning 
arrived at Oetoraro, where the Governor was presented 
with some skins by the Indians,, and the same night we 
arrived at Pequehan, " at the mouth of Pequae creek" 
being received at Martines,t bj Pessah,. 'Hhe chief 
of the Shawanoes," and some Indian chiefs, who con- 
ducted us to the town, at om' entrance into, which place, 
we were saluted by the Indians with a volley of fire 
arms. On Monday, we Avent to Dekanoagah, upon the 
river Susquehanna, being about nine miles from Peque- 
han. Some time after our coming here a meeting was 
held of the Shawanois, Senequois and Canoise Indians, 
and the Nantikoke Indians from the seven following 
towns, viz: Matcheattochouisie, Witichquaom, Teah- 
quois, Matchcouchthi, Natahquois, Byengeahtein, and 
Pohecommoati J an Indian presented to the Governor 
and his company, and all the Indians then present, a 

*Gordon, 150 ; Proud, 1. 482. 

fMartin Chartier, who had hved long among the Shawanah 
Indians 1—CoZ. Rec. II, 133. 



LANCASTER COUNTF. 47 

large pipe with tobacco, out of which every one smoked, 
and then the Governor acquainted the Indians that he 
had received a message from the Senequois Indians, of 
Conestogo and those of Pequehan, how that several 
strange Indians were amongst them, and desired his 
presence there; that although he had the charge and 
care of many thousands of the great Queen of Eng- 
land's subjects, yet he was now come to this place to 
know their desires, and was willing to serve them in 
whatsoever lay in his power. To which a Nantikoke 
Indian replied, that they were extremely glad the 
Governor was with them, and that they had waited ten 
days to see him. 

Adjunkoe, one of the Sachems of Conestogo, said 
he was well satisfied with the relation the Nantikoke 
Indians had given of their affairs; yet, notwithstanding, he 
was very desirous they should make it known to the 
Governor that he might also be satisfied with it; a Nan- 
tikoke Indian took into his hands a belt of wampun 
from him whereon there was hung nineteen others, and 
several strings of beads, and said that they had been 
given to understand the Queen had sent orders that the 
Indians should live in peace with one another, and that 
they were sent to give some of those belts in behalf of 
the Governor of Maryland, and themselves to the Five 
Nations, as our Indians also intended to do to others for 
Pennsylvania and themselves, if the Governor thought 
fit, in order to renew their league with the Five 
Nations. 

Governor — How long have you been at peace with 
this nation? 

Nantikoke Indians — Twenty-seven years. 
Governor — ^What is the reason, then, of so many belts 
of wampum and strings of beads .^ 



48 HISTORY OF 

Nantikoke Indians — We send them as a tribute. 

Governor — I am very well satisfied with what has 
been told me, and with what the Governor of Maryland 
has done^ and had I been acquainted with thi^ business 
at Philadelphia, I would have sent a belt of wamptim as 
a token of friendship to the Five Nations; but some of 
those Five Nations were with me not long since, by 
whom I sent a belt; and then Adjunkoe took a belt 
in his hands, saying, he meant to send it to the Five 
Nations for Penn and 'themselves. 

Indian Harry, by order of the Conestogo Sachem, 
spoke in English to the Nantikoke, who all understood 
that language, as follows, viz : you are going to the 
Onandagoes; be sure keep on your way; many may tell 
you several things to fright you, and that they are great 
men, and you will be killed. Yet keep on your way and 
believe them not, for you will find the King of the Five 
Nations a very great one, and as good a king as any 
amongst the Indians. 

Governor — I am very glad to see you altogether at 
this time, and it is my desire, and shall be my endeavor, 
that you all live in peace. Your enemies are ours, and 
whosoever shall pretend to injure you, I will endeavor 
that you shall have satisfaction made for it. 

Then the conference ended, and the Governor treated 
the Indian chiefs -at dinner, and at night returned to 
Pequehan. 

Peqiiehan, SOth June. 

Present: — Shawanois Indians, and some of the Five 
Nations. 

Pessah spoke in behalf of the youth of the town, ai 
follows, viz : 

We thank the Governor for his kindness in supporting 
our people. We are happy to live in a country at peace, 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 49 

and not as in thess parts, where we formerly lived; for 
then upon our return from hunting, we found our town 
surprised, and our women and children taken prisoners 
by our enemies. 

Governor — Tiie Indians may he assured of my pro- 
tection, for we are one people. If in your absence, any of 
your enemies endeavor to hurt any of your wives or 
children, they shall have redress; for I esteem an injury 
done to you as to myself 

Pessah — It was the Nantikoke and Canoise Indians 
who sent for our father, the Governor, and not we, there- 
fore we are very sorry they entertained him no better; but 
since they have not been so kind as they ought, \vc hope 
the Governor will accept of our small present, which wo 
now make him; for we are sensible the ways are bad, 
and that the bushes wear out your clothes, for which 
reason Ave give these skins to make gloves, stockings 
and breeches, in place of those worn out. 

Governor — I am well pleased with mj journey, and 
shall be always ready to do the like to preserve peace 
amongst you at home, and maintain your alliance 
abroad. I have now (to let you see what confidence I 
have in you,) trusted myself in the midst of you, with 
a very few of our great Queen's subjects, altliough I 
could have easily brought with me very great numbers. 
I have been told that some ill-designing persons have 
frequently raised reports of my hitention to destroy you; 
pray, let me know the authors of these reports, and they 
shall be punished according to their deserts. I am, and 
always have been, ready to do you all manner of good 
ofiices, and will continue in the same mind towards you. 
It is my mind that you secure their persons, and give me 
immediate notice of it. Tliere have been formerly 
several alliances made with you, which you well know 



50 HISTOET OP 

we on our parts have observed punctually; and so shall 
continue to do, and wish you may do the same. 

Then an Indian spoke in behalf of the women : — We 
are included in the alliances before spoken of, as well as 
our men, so we ask the Governor's protection, and de- 
sire the Governor will kmdly accept this present of 
skms, wliich freely we make him, as a testimony of our 
kindness. 

Governor — I do accept your presents very kindly, and 
thank you for the same ; and you shall always find mc 
ready to protect and defend you, and will continue to 
treat you as friends and sisters. 

After which the Governor spoke to the messengers 
from the Five Nations, viz : 

You must be sure you remember to acquaint your 
chiefs that you have seen me here, and at the Shawa- 
noise town: and of the friendsliip and alliance that is 
betwixt us and the Indians. 

Pessah—1 hope the Governor wiU give us his hand 
in token of Ms friendship. 

Governor-^1 will give not only give my hand, but my 
heart. 

Dm"ing our abode at Pequehan, several of the Shawo- 
nois Indians, from the southward, came to settle here 
and were admitted so to do by Pessah, with the 
Governor's consent; at the same time an Indian from a 
Shaonois town, near Carolina, came m, and gave an 
accomit of four hundred and fifty flatheaded Indians had 
besieged them : and that in all probability, the same was 
taken. Bezalhon niformed the Governor that the Shao- 
nois of Carolina (he was told) had killed several chris- 
tians ; whereupon the Governor of that province raised 
the said flatheaded Indians, ajid joined some christians to 



LANCASTEK COUNTT. 51 

them, besieged, and have taken, as it is thought, the said 
Shaonois town. 

On Tuesday, 1st of July, we went to Conestogo, and 
lay there that night, and the next morning proceeded on 
our journey and arrived in the evening "within three 
miles of an Indian village, called Peixtan.* The Go- 
▼ernor had received information at Pequehan, that one 
Nicole, a French Indian trader, was at that place, against 
whom great complaints had been made to the Governor, 
of which he acquainted the chief Indian of Peixtan, as 
also of his design to seize him; who willingly agreed to 
it, but advised the Governor to be very cautious in the 
manner; there being only young people at home, who 
perhaps might make some resistance, if it were done 
"without their first bemg told of it ; for this reason we 
lay short of the village that night; but early in the 
morning we went within one-half a mile of the town, 
and leaving our horses, marched afoot, nearer the same, 
from whence the Governor sent Martine to the village, 
ordering him to tell Nicole that he had brought two kegs 
of rum with him, which he had left in the wood, for 
fear any christians were there, and to persuade Nicole 
to go with him to taste the rum. Martine returned 
with James Le Tort, and Joseph Jessop, two Indian 
traders, but could not prevail with Nicole ; upon this, 
Martine was sent back, with orders to bring down some 
of the Indians, and Nicole with them ; then we drew 
nearer the town, and laid ourselves in the bushes, and 
Martine returned with two Indians, whom the Governor 
acquainted with his intent of taking Nicole, telling at the 
same time, he had spoken Avith the uncle of one of them 

*" Peixtan, spelt Peichtang, Pechetan, &c. in old records, 
oneean Indian wigwam, now Harrishurg," R. C— X<zn. Inteil 
4* Jour, 



52 HISTORY OF 

upon that head, who ordered the Indians to submit to 
the Governor's commands, with which they Avere con- 
tented, though we perceived too well the contrary^by 
their inquiring how many we Avere, and how armed; 
and by the concern they seemed to be in, when they* 
found we were more in number than they: but still 
Nicole was wanting; it Avas therefore resolved at once to- 
liy once more if he could be got into the Avoods, accord-- 
ingly Avent again, and brought Nicole to the place Avhere 
we lay concealed, and asking to drink a dram, he seized 
him ; but Nicole started from him and run for it, Avhen 
immediately avs started out and took him, and presentl^f 
carried him to the village, through Avhich Ave Avere 
obliged to pass, and there Ave found some Indians Avith 
guns in their hands, Avho looked much displeased at Avhat 
we had done, but Ave being in readiness against any sur- 
prise, they thought it not fit to attempt any thing ; here 
Ave stayed about half an hour, and then parted for Tur-^ 
P3^hocken: having mounted Nicole upon a horse, and 
tied his legs under his belly; Ave got Avithin a mile of 
Turpyhocken, about tAvo of the clock on Friday morn- 
ing, and about seven the Governor Avent to to Avn, from 
thence Ave Avent to ManataAvny that night, and the next 
day to Philadelphia." 

Nicole was imprisoned in the common jail at Philadel- 
phia. From his examination and trial before the coun- 
cil, he stated, that according to Avhat his mother had told 
him, he Avas born in Blackfryers, London, that his mother 
had carried him to France, and that his uncle in London 
had sent for him; and that about the year 1686, lie Avas 
brought over into this country, Avith a French gentle- 
man, Avho had come on the account of Doctor Cox. — . 
He Avas tried by indictments as a subject in England.* 

*SeeCol.Ilec. II. 405-6. 



.^f^ 



LANCASTER COUNTr, 53 



CHAPTER V. 



Crauae of disquietude among the Indians — Indians at Conestogo send a 
zuessenger to the Council — Mitchel and other Europeans intrude upon the 
Indians — Governor Evans' explanation of Mitchel's course — Critical junc- 
ture — Evans re-called — Gookin appointed Governor — Penn's embarrass- 
ment — Penn mortgages the province — Quit-rents — Emigration impeded 
— Gookin sends a message to the Indians at Conestogo — Mingoes and 
others appear in Philadelphia — Gookin's visit to Conestogo — Swedish 
Missionary at Conestogo — His sermon and Indian chiefs answer- 
French and Worley on a message to Conestogo. 

The disquietude among the Indians still was such as 
to render it necessary, shortly after the Governor's 
return, to despatch a message to them by Martin Char- 
tier, who was returning from Philadelphia to his trading 
station among the Shawanois, at Pecquea, near Cones- 
togo. The great uneasiness among them was frequently 
occasioned by non-licensed and non-resident transient 
traders and speculators among them,^ or those who sought 
to m-end their future fortunes by seeking out, locating 
and purchasing the choice vacant lands from the proprie- 
tary's commissioners. Such appears to have been the 
<»se about Conestogo, in 1707. Among those, at this 
time, was one Lewis Mitchel, or Michelle, who was em- 
ployed and sent out, about the year 1703 or 4, by the 
Canton of Bern, in Switzerland, to search for vacant 
lands in Pennsylvania, Virginia or Carolina.* 

The Indians at Conestogo, sent a message to the 
council, by Harry, the interpreter. The Governor was 
ai)sent. Tlie council convened to receive the message in 
form. As his. credentials, Harry laid upon the board six 
ioose strings of wampum, and declared that he was sent 

*Willlamson,I. C..6.. 

5* 



S4 HISTORY OP 

by the Queen and the principal of Conestego, to the Go- 
vernor and council, to acquaint that divers Europeans^ 
namely, "Mitchel (a Swiss,) Peter BezaUon, James Le 
Tort, Martin Chartier, the French Glover of Philadel- 
phia, Frank, a young man of Canada, who was lately 
taken up here, being all Frenchmen, and one from Vir- 
ginia, who also spoke French, had seated themselves and 
huilt houses upon the branches of the Patowmeck,. 
within this government, and pretended that they were in 
search of some mineral or ore; that in the Governor's 
name, they had required the Indians of Conestogo, ta 
send some of their people with them to assist them, for 
which the Governor would pay them. That those of 
Conestogo, not thinking these proceedings to be incon- 
sistent with their past treaties and leagues of friendship, 
desired to know whether the said persons were really 
sent by the government, and had thus seated them- 
selves by their approbation, and whether they had 
any orders to desire the assistance of the said Indians, if 
not that they might be called home/' 

Harry added in particular, ''that though Mitchel 
was the person who had first led the rest thither, yet 
he had left them for many weeks past, and pretended 
that he wanted one Clark, of Maryland, who it is said, 
to be now under an attainder, by an act of assembly 
of that government, to assist him in the discovery."* 

On furtlier consideration it appeared that Peter Be- 
zalion was the only licensed Indian trader,' according to 
an act passed at a general Assembly, October 14, 1700, 
held at New Castle. 

Ivlitchel, who had been in Philadelphia, in the summer 
of 1706, was sent for by Governor Evans. Tiie Governor 
" required to know of him what he intended by travers- 

•«Col.}lec. 11.420. 



LANCASTER COXTIfTT. 55 

ing the country, as he had done, without permission; 
and what was the meaning of these discourses about 
mines."' 

The Governor stated to the hoard, February 25, 1707, 
that the above was the substance of his talk witli him, 
and that Mitchel rephed, " He had been employed by 
divers of his countrymen, who were in treaty with the 
crown and proprietor for land here for a convenient tract 
to settle a colony* of their people on, to come over and 
search for such a place as might best suit them, and 
upon this head, he was large in giving an account of the 
design." 

The Governor further stated that he asked " How he 
durst presume to range this country, on any such design, 
without applying first to him; to which he answered 
that he would have done it, but that he lost his creden- 
tials, and expected others over.'' 

The Governor also added, "that he had some notion 
of mines, and had his thoughts much bent that way, that 
he was willing to let him proceed, and had not dis- 
couraged him ; that he had advised him to take some of 
the Indians with him; that of the persons before men- 
tioned, he had ordered two that he could confide in to be 
there, that he might have a full account of their proceed- 
ings; but that he knew notliing that so many had 
gone out, nor could think it was fit to be suffered.'' 

The council agreed that none except those who had 
Ucense to do so, should remain among the Indians on the 
forks of the Potomac; and thus the matter ended. 

This was a critical juncture to the provmcials, to 
Governor Evans, and to the proprietary. The unsettled 
state of Indian affairs, perplexed the people; the execu- 

*This colony settled in 1710, in North Carolina^ at a place 
which they subsequently called IS^iw Bern. 



56 HISTOET OP 

tivo and the legislators, owing to the quarrels between 
them, had done nothing in their respective capacities, 
that resulted in a benefit to the country. Besides this 
family feud and Indian perplexities, the trade of the pro- 
rince had been greatly interrupted by the privateers of the 
enemies cruizing and capturing vessels. There was no 
remedy for all this, as long as Evans was Governor. — 
He was re-called. Col. Charles Gookin was appointed, 
and arrived in March, 1708 

Penn's pecuniary embarrassments were intricate and 
perplexing, owing to various causes* The expenditure 
of his government was great,, and he was defrauded by 
his Stewart of his Irish estates, and confined within the 
rules of the Fleet prison. "He was relieved from this 
humiliating state, by mortgaging the province,, and his 
political rights therein, to Henry Gouldney, Joshua Gee;^ 
Syivanus Grove, John Woods and John Field, of Lon- 
don, Thomas Callowhill, Thomas Oade and Jeffrey 
Pennell, of Bristol, and Thomas Cuppage, of Ireland, 

The mortgagees did not assume the government, but 
appointed Edward Shippen, Samuel Carpenter, Richard 
Hill, and James Logan, commissioners to superintend 
tlieir interest in the province, who repaid the loan with, 
funds obtainfid from the sale of lands, and., from his. 
quit-rents."* 

*Quit'rents. — It appears from the writings of Sparks, Belk* 
Bftp and Franklin, that when Penn reserved quit-rents, they 
were not agreod to without difficulty. The purchasers remon- 
fitrated against them as a burden, unprecedented in any other 
American Colony ; but it is said, Penn artfully distinguished 
between the character of Proprietor and of Governor, and 
insinuated strongly that government must be supported with 
dignity, and that by complying with this expedient, they 
would be freed from other taxes. Such distinctions are very. 



LANCASTEH COUNTT. 57 

Emigration, during this unhappy state of affairs, was 
very hmited. Though the oppression abroad was very 
great, and a free asylum held to all of every creed, the 
influx of population had for a season stopped, and settle- 
ments sparsely made. None seemed, even in the pro- 
vince, to adventure an approach in settling nearer the 
banks of the Susquehanna. Those who advanced 
took forethought not to seat far from " mill and meeting' 
house.'' A few quaker pioneers settled about the year 
1 707, in Kennet, Chester county. Among others; were 
Vincent Caldwell, Thomas Wickershani, Joel Bailey,, 
Thomas Hope, Guy an Miller.* 

Nothing of importance of a local character, within the 
limits of Lancaster county, occurred during the first year 
of Gookin's administration. The Indians had sent 
several messages to him and council. He promised them 
3. visit, but was prevented by public business. Lest he 
might forfeit their confidence, he instructed the sectretary 
at a council, held at Philadelphia, June 8, 1709, forth- 
with to despatch a messenger to the Concstogo and 
other Indians, &c., with instructions in v/riting to excuse 
Jn'm from coming, because the assembly was tlien in 
session upon an important business, and as a credential, 
he commanded the messenger to take a good belt of 
wampum v/ith him, to inform them that if they designed 
to pay a visit to the Five Nations, they are now busily 

convenient to a politician — and by this distinction the point 
was gained. 

All quit-rents Vv'ere abolished, except in Manors, by the ninth 
section of the Divesting Act, passed 27th November, 1779- — . 
Smithes Laws, Pa. II, 138. 

The quit-rents were not uniform ; thev varied from one 
shilling sterling per hundred acres, to six shillings psr annum,.^ 
and in other instances more. 

*Proud, I. 482. 



58 HISTORY OF 

engage d \yth the English in a war against Canada, for 
which vast preparations are made from England f that 
if those of Conestogoe, the Shawanois and othera, can 
^igage, and will prepare themselves to join immediately 
in this expedition, their yomig men should all provide 
themselves for it without delay, and they shall receive bf ■ 
the Queen's orders, sent for that purpose, a good reward,, 
every man a gun, and that their answer to this, by some 
of their old men, and a good interpreter, is immediately 
desired. That whether they can engage or not, we 
shall be glad to see some of them here,, and the Governor 
will shortly make them a visit/' 

John French hastened to Conestogo and delivered the 
message. He returned to Philadelphia, and communis, 
cated the Indians' message. "They would forthwith 
call in all their young men, and with all their force come 
to Philadelphia, in order to proceed to Albany and join 
ia the expedition against Canada." 

But as the assembly had voted against raising money 
for that purpose, it was resolved that a message be sent 
to the Indians, desiring them to defer their coming 
to Philadelphia, for that the Governor will speedily pay 
them a visit. 

Notwithstanding the desire expressed by the Governor 
and council, that they might defer their coming, they 
appeared; they were the chiefs of several nations of 
Indians, living on Susquehanna,, viz :. Andaggy-jun- 
guah, Woshtachary, chiefs of the Mingoes, Owechela, 
Passakassy and Skalitchy, chiefs of the Delaware In-- 
dians, settled at Peshtang (Paxton), above Conestogo^ 

•An expedition was determined on for the reduction of th« 
French in North America. The plan was extensive. The 
French were to be subdued, not only in Canada and Acadia^, 
but also in Newfoundland.— /ioZmes, /. 500. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 59 

and other adjacent places, Peter and Pipskoe, chiefs of 
Ganawese, with their several interpreters. 

The Governor congratulated them on their coming to 
see him, and they were all satisfied with him. A num- 
ber of presents were made them, before their departure 
for home. 

The following year the Governor paid the Indians a 
Tisit at Conestogo, "where he found them very much 
inclined to the English, and to the proprietary, and his 
government in particular; but that they had complained 
to him that several persons make it then' business to way- 
lay their young men returning from hunting, making them 
drunk with rum, and then cheat them of their skins, and 
that if some method be not taken to prevent it, they must 
be forced to remove themselves or starve, their depen- 
dence being entirely upon their peltry ; whereupon it is 
thought proper that such Indian traders as are foreigners, 
being admitted and licensed by the Governor, shall 
Gome imder such regulation as the Governor and 
council, from time to time, shall direct and appoint." 

If any reliance can be placed on the following tradi- 
tion, for it should be considered such,* the Swedes also^ 
as well as others, felt interested in the spiritual welfare of 
the Indians of Lancaster county, and sent missionaries 
among them to instruct them in the doctrines of the 
christian religion. One of their missionaries, who re- 
sided a few years at Conestogo, either at the time of 
Governor Gookin's first visit to the Indians at Conestogo, 

^Robert Proud, who wrote a History of Pennsylvania, in 
1780, says this speech had been printed in Pennsylvania, as a 
genuine speech of an Indian chief in the province ; but 
whether it be really so, or not, it certainly contains arguments 
which have been used by some of these people, and it may 
serve, in part, to give some idea of their sentiments on thia 
subject. 



60 HISTORY C7 

or when Colonel French and Henry Worley, went on a 
message m 1710, was present, and preached a sermon to 
the Indians at Conestogo, in which sermon he set forth 
original sin, the necessity of a mediator, and endeavored;, 
hy certain arguments, to induce the Indians to embrace 
the christian religion. After he had ended his discourse, 
one of the Indian chiefs made a speech in reply to the 
sermon ; the discourse on both sides was made known by 
interpreters. The missionary, upon his return to Sweden, 
pubhshed his sermon and the Indian's answer ; having 
written them in Latin, he dedicated them to the University 
■of Upsal, and desired them to furnish him with argu- 
ments to confute such strong reasoning of the Indian. — 
The Indian's speech, translated from the Latin, is as 
follows: 

"Since the subject of his errand is to persuade us to em- 
brace a new doctrine, perhaps it may not be amiss, 
before we offer him the reasons why we cannot comply 
with his request, to acquaint him with the grounds and 
principles of that religion he would have us abandon. 
Our forefathers vv^ere under a strong persuasion (as we 
are) that those who act well in this life, will be rewarded 
in the next, according to the degree of their virtues. — 
And on the other hand, that those that behave wickedly 
here will undergo such punishments hereafter as were 
proportionate to the crimes they were guilty of. This 
has been constantly and invariably received and ac- 
knowledged for a truth through every successive genera- 
tion of our ancestors : it could not then have taken its 
rise from f ible ; for human fiction, however artfully and 
plausibly contrived, can never gain credit long among 
people where free enquiry is allowed, which never was 
denied by our ancestors; who, on the contrary, thought it 



LANCASTER COUNTr. 61 

the sacred inviolable natural right of every manj to ex- 
amine and judge for himself. 

Therefore, we thmk it evident that our notions of 
future rewards and punishments were either revealed 
from Heaven immediately to some of our forefathers, 
and from them descended to us, or that it was implanted 
in each of us at our creation by the Creator of all things, 
Whatever the method might have been, whereby God 
has been pleased to make known to us his will an ■ give 
us a knowledge of our duty, it is in our sense a divine 
revelation. Now we desire to propose to him some 
questions. Does he believe that our forefathers, men, 
eminent for their piety, constant and Avarm in their 
pursuit of virtue ; hoping thereby to merit eternal happi- 
ness, were all damned. Does he think, that we, who 
are zealous imitators in good works, and influenced by 
the same motives, as we are, earnestly endeavoring with 
the greatest circumspection to tread the path of integrity, 
are in a state of damnation? If that be his sentiments, 
it is surely as impious as it is bold and daring. In the 
next place we beg that he would explain himself more, 
particularly concerning the revelation, if he admits of no 
other, than Avhat is contained in his written book; the 
contrary is evident from what has been shown before. — 
But if he says, God has revealed himself to us, but not 
sufficiently for our salvation, then we ask, to what pur- 
pose should he have revealed himself to us in any wise. 
It is clear, that a revelation insufficient to save, cannot 
put us in a better condition than we be without revela- 
tion at all. We cannot conceive that God should point 
out to us the end \ve ought to arrive at, without 
opening to us the way to arrive at that end. But sup- 
posmg our understanding to be so far illuminated as to 

6 



62 HISTORY OF 

know it to be onr duty to please God, who yet has left 
us under an incapacity of domg it ; will tliis missionary 
therefore conclude we shall be eternally danined ? Will 
he take upon him to pronounce danmation against us for 
not domg those things which he himself acknowledgeth 
were impossible by us to be done. It is oiu opmion. that 
even- man is possessed with sulficient knowledge for his 
ouTi salvation. Tlie Almighty, for any thmg we know, 
may have communicated liimseh' to different races of peo- 
ple in a difiereHt manner. Some say, they have the will of 
God in writings ; be it so, their revelation has no advan- 
tage above ours, since both must be equally sufficient to 
save, or the end of revelation would be fnistrated ; be- 
sides, if they both be true, they must be the same in sub- 
stance, and the difference can only lay in the mode of 
communication. He tells us there are many precepts ui 
this written revelation, which we are entirely ignorant 
of: but those written commands could only be assigned 
for those who have the writmgs, they camiot possibly 
regard us. Had the Almighty- thought so much 
knowledge necessary for our salvation, his goodness 
would not so long defer the commmiication of it to us.— 
And to say in a matter so necessary he could not at one 
and the same time reveal himself to all mankmd, is 
nothing else than an absolute denial of his omnipotence. 
Without doubt he can make his will manifest without 
the help of any book, or the assistance of any bookish 
man whatever. We shall, in the next place, consider 
the arguments which arise from the consideration of 
p*rovidence. 

If we be the work of God, (which we presume Will 
not be denied) it follows from thence, that we are under 
the care and protection of God; for it caimot be sup- 
posed that the Deity should abandon his own creatures, 



LAXCASTER COUNTT. 63 

aiid be utterly regardless of their welfare. Then to say 
tiiat the Almighty has permitted us to remain in a 
fatal error through so many ages, is to represent him as a 
tyrant 

How is it consistent with his justice to force life upon 
a race of mortals without their consent, and then to 
damn them eternally without ever opening to them a 
door to salvation? Our conceptions of the gracious God 
are much more noble, and we think that those who 
teach otherwise, do httle less than blaspheme. Aeain it 
is tlirough the care and goodness of the AlmighU', that 
from the beginning of time through so many generations 
to this day. our name has been preserved unblotted out 
by our enemies, and unreduced to nothing. Bv the same 
care we now enjoy our lives, and are furnished with the 
necessary means of preserving these hves. But all 
these tilings, compared with our salvation, are trifling.— 
Tlierefore, since God has been so careful of us in matters 
of Uttle consequence, it would be absurd to affirm that 
he has neglected us in cases of the greatest importance ; 
admit he has forsaken us, yet it could not be without a 
just cause. 

Let us suppose that some heinous crimes were com- 
mitted by some of our ancestors, like to that we are told 
of another race of people, in such a case, God would 
certainly punish the criminal^ but would never involve 
us tliat are iimocent in the guilt ; those who think other- 
wise must make the Ahnighty a very whimsical evil-na- 
ture d bems-. 

Once more: are the christians more virtuous? or 

rather, are they not more vicious than we are? if so, 

how came it to pass that they are the objects of God's 

beneficence, while we are neglected ? does he daily confer 

Lis favors without reason, and witli so much panialit)'? 



64 HISTORY OF 

In a word; we find the christians much more 
depraved in their morals than we are — and we judge 
from their doctrine by the badness of their Hves. 

Shortly after Governor Gookin's visit to the Indians^ 
he sent two messengers, Col. John French and Henry Wor- 
ley, to them. After a friendly interview, they returned ta 
Philadelphia, and laid before the board of comicil, hi. 
session, June 16, 1710, their report* 

''M Conestogo, June S, 1710. 

Present : — ^John French, Henry Warley, Iwaagenst?- 
Terrutanaren and Teonnotein, chiefs of the Tiiscaroroes, 
Civility, the Senegues kings, and four chiefs of the na« 
tions with Opessa, the Shawanois king. 

The Indians were told that according to their request,, 
we were come from the Governor and Govermnent, to 
hear what prosposals they had to make anent a peace, 
according to the purport of their embassy from their own 
people. 

They signified to us by a belt of wampum* which was 
sent them from their old women, that those implored. 
their friendship of christians and Indians of this govern- 
ment, that without danger or trouble they might fetch 
wood and water. 

*" Wampom or wampum, says Loskeil, is an Iroquois word 
meaning a muscle. A number of these muscles strung to- 
gether is called a string of wampum, which when a fathom, 
six feet long, is termed a fathom or belt of wampum, 
but the word string is commonly used, whether it be long or 
short. Before the Europeans came to North America, the In- 
dians used to make their strings of wampum chiefly of small 
pieces of wood of equal size, stained either black or white. — 
Few were made of muscles, which were esteemed very valua- 
ble and difficult to make; for not having proper tools, they 
spent much time in finishing them, and yet their work had a 
clumsy appearance. But the Europeans soon contrived to 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 65 

The sword belt was sent from their young men fit to 
hunt, that privilege to leave their towns, and seek provi- 
sion for their aged, might be granted to them without 
fear of death or slavery. 

The fourth was sent from the men of age, requesting 
that the wood, by a happy peace, might be as safe for 
them as then forts. 

The fifth was sent from the whole nation, requesting 
peace, that thereby they might have liberty to visit their 
neighbors. 

The sixth was sent from their kings and chiefs, desir- 
ing a lasting peace with the christians and Indians of this 
Government, that thereby they might be secured against 
those fearful apprehensions they have for these several 
years felt. 

The seventh was sent in order to entreat a cessation 
from murdering and taking them, that by the allowance 
thereof, they may not be afraid of a mouse, or other 
thmg that ruffles the leaves. 

The eighth was sent to declare, that as being hitherto 
strangers to this place, they now came as people blind, 
no path nor communication being betwixt us and 
them 5 but now they hope we will take them by the 

make strings of wampum, both neat and elegant, and in great 
abundance. Those they bartered with the Indians for other 
goods, and found this traffic very advantageous. The Indians 
immediately gave up the use of old wood as substitutes for 
wampum, and procured those made of muscles. 

Every thing of moment transacted at solemn council, either 
between the Indians themselves, or with Europeans, is ratified, 
and made valid by strings and belt of wampum. Formerly 
Mioy used to give sanction to their treaties by delivering a wing 
of some large bird. This custom still prevailed as late as 
1775, among the more western nations, in transacting business 
wit^ tiie Delawares^-^Iios^ei/. 

6* 



66 HISTORT OP 

hand and lead them, and then they will lift up 
their heads, in the woods, without any danger or 
fear. 

These belts, they say, are only sent as an introduction, 
and in order to break off hostilities till next spring ; for 
then their kings will come and sue for the peace they so 
much desire. 

We acquainted them that as most of this continent 
were the subjects of the crown of Great Britain, though 
divided into several governments, so it is expected their 
intentions are not only peaceable towards us, but also to 
all the subjects of the crown ; and that if they intend to 
settle, and live amicably here, they need not doubt the 
protection of this Government, in such things as were 
honest and good; but that to confirm the sincerity of 
ther past carriage towards the English, and to raise in us 
a good opinion of them, it would be very necessary to 
procure a certificate from the Government, they leave to 
this, of their good behavior, and then they might be 
assured of a favorable reception. 

The Senegues return their hearty thanks to the Go- 
vernment for their trouble in sending to them, and 
acquainted us that by advice of a council amongst them, 
it was determined to send these belts, by the Tuscaro- 
roes, to the Five Nations."* 

♦Col.Rec. 11. 553-4, 



LANCASTER COUNXr. 67 



SECOND PART 



FROM THE EARLIEST SETTLEMENTS MADE WITHIN 

THE PRESENT LIMITS OP THE COUNTY TO IT& 

ORGANIZATION IN THE TEAR 1729. 



CHAPTER I. 



Preliminary remarks — Unsettled state of affairs in Europe — Consequent 
emigration of Swiss, Germans, French and others, into America — Into 
Pennsylvania — Swiss Mennonites settle in Pequea Valley — Purchase ten 
thousand acres of land — Make improvements— Others purchase lands — 
The Mennonites call a meeting to send a person to Europe for the residue 
of their families — Kendig goes and returns with a number of families- 
Settlements augmented — Governor Gookin's journey to Conestogo. 

The unsettled state of affairs in Europe subjected 
many of the Germans, French, Swiss and others, to sore 
persecutions because they could not change their reli- 
gious opinions so as to coincide invariably with those of 
the ruling Prince. The religious complexion of the 
country was frequently determined or influenced by the 
diaracter of the rulers — as they changed, it was changed, 
either by force, or by inducements to "Ao/c? it with 
the populaceP To these changes it was impossible for 
the GermanSj the Swiss, the French, to conform. 



68 HISTORY OP 

Frederick II, Elector Palatine, embraced the Lutheran 
faith; Frederick III. became a Catholic; Lodovic V. 
restored the Lutheran church ; his son, and successor^, 
was a Calvinist. These, in their turn, protected some, 
others they did not. The last Prince, son of Lodovic, 
was succeded by a Catholic family, during whose 
leignit Avas the lot of the Protestants to be unkindly op- 
pressed. Besides these unpropitious changes, and of 
being subjects of alarm and persecution, the Germans 
occupied the mienviable position of living between two 
powerful belligerent rivals. War seemed to be the very 
element of these ruling Princes, then, of those countries. 

In the year 1622, Count Tilly, the Imperial General, 
took Heidelberg, and put five hundred of the inhabitants 
to the sword. In 1634, Louis XIV. entered the city and 
destroyed many of the inhabitants. 

The close of the seventeenth century, was an eventful 
period. The celebrated Edict of Nantes, issued by 
Henry IV. in 1598, in favor of the Huguenots* or 
Protestants, was revoked, Oct. 23, 1685, by Louis XIV. 
whose name was execrated over a great part of Europe. 
Consequent upon there vocation of this edict, there was 
one of the most terrible persecutions ever suffered in 
France. It is recorded in History, "about that time, 
though the frontiers were vigilantly guarded, upwards of 
five hundred thousand Huguenots made their escape to 

*Huguenot. — This epithet has been the subject of some dis- 
cussion. We are inclined to the opinion, that the origin of the 
ward is derived from the German, Eidgenossen, confederates. 
A party thus designated existed at Geneva ; and it is probable 
that the French Protestants would adopt a term so applicable 
to. themselves. This opinion is supported by Mezeray^ Main- 
hoy^g, and Diodatif Professor of Theology at Geneva — W, 
S. Browning's His. Hug. 292. 

See Appendix C, for a iuller account of the Huguenots. 



LANCASTER COUNTT. 69 

Switzerland, Germany, Holland, England and America. 
"The unfortunate were more wakeful to fly, than the 
ministers of tyranny to restrain."* 

At this critical juncture, the Mennonites were perse- 
cuted in Switzerland, and driven into various countries ; 
some to Alsace, above Strasburg, others to Holland, &C.,. 
where they lived simple and exemplary lives ; in the 
villages as farmers, in the towns by trades, free from the 
cliarge of any gross immoralities, and professing the 
most pure and simple principles, which they exemplied 
in a holy conversation. Some of those about Strasburg, 
with other High and Low Germans transported them- 
selves about the year 1683, by the encouragement of 
William Penn, to Pennsylvania, and settled principally 
at Gemiantown; the greater part of whom ^vere natural- 
ized in 1709.t 

In 16SS, Heidelberg was taken the second tim.e, by 
the French, who laid the inhabitants under oppressive 
contributions; after which, at the approach of the impe- 
rial army, they blew up the citidal, and rcduced the 
town to ashes. It soon rose again upon its cinders, and 

*The Huguenots put a new aspect on the North of Germany, 
where they filled entire towns, and sections of cities, introduc- 
ing manufactures before unknown. A suburb of London was 
filled with French mechanics; the Prince of Orange gained 
entire regiments of soldiers, as brave as those whom Crom- 
Avell led to victory ; a colony of them even reached Good 
Hope. The American colonies, influenced by religious sym- 
pathy, were ever open to receive the Huguenots. They set- 
tled in the New England States, the Middle and Southern 
States. The United States, says Bancroft, are full of monu- 
ments of the emigrations from France. 

The limits of afoot-notCy will not admit of enlargement here* 
See Appendix C. 

fCol. Rec. n. 514. 



70 HISTORY OF 

ngaiii it was taken by a Fronoli army, who laid it, vT 
second time, into ashes, in 1693. Tiic inhabitants, men, 
women and children, about 1500, stripped of all, were 
forced to flee, m consternation, to the fields by night. — 
Once more, on the retreat of tlie French army, were tlie 
former inhabitants prevailed upon to rebuild the city, 
unconscious, however, of the treachery of a pei-fidious 
Elector, who had sacredly promised them liberty of con- 
science — Heaven's choicest boon — ^and exemption from 
taxes lor thirty years. After some time, the Elector, 
whose creed, it appears, embraced the essential ingre- 
dient, ''^ Pro77iises ?7iadc to heretics should not be r^ 
deemed y'^ harrassed his duped subjects, with relentless 
persecution. The French army having crossed tiie 
Rhine, the distressed Palatines persecuted by their heart- 
less Prince — plundered by a foreign enemy, fled to 
escape from death, and about six thousand of them, for' 
protection, to England, in consequence of encourage- 
ment, they had received from Queen Anne, by proclama- 
tion, in 1 70S. Among these was a number to be men- 
tioned in the sequel of our narrative. 

Many also had, prior to the issuing of Anne's procla- 
mation, determined to seek refuge in America. Tiie 
Canton of Bern, in Switzerland, had employed Christjo- 
pher de Graffenried and Lewis Mitchcl or JNIichelle, as 
pioneers, with instructions to search for vacant lands in 
Pennsylvania, Virginia or Carolina. One of these, 
Michelle, a Swiss miner, had been in America, prior to 
1704 or 1705, traversing the country to seek out " a con- 
venient tract to settle a colony of their people on." lia 
was among the Indians in and about Conestogo during 
1706 and 1707, "in search of some mineral or ore;"* 
and, "it is believed, he and his associates built a 
*CoL Roc. II. 420.— WUliams, Kis. N. C. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 71 

fort not far from Conncjaghcra, many miles above 
Conestogo.'^ 

Before those of Bern had fully executed their project, 
they were induced to fly for safety, to London, in the 
vicinity of which, they pitched their tents, and were 
supported at the public expense until they could be 
jSliipped off for America — some sailed for New York,* 
Pennsylvania, and others for North Carolina, where 
tJioy arrived in December, 1709, at the confluence of the 
Neuse and Trent. This year a respectable number of 
Mennonites left Strasburg, in Germany, whither they 
had fled from their Vaterland, and sailed for America to 
seek a refuge free from persecution. At home they 
were persecuted by arrogant man, " glorying in the mag- 
nitude of his power, who was every where impiously inter- 
posing between the homage of his fellow and his Creator, 
and striving, by coercion, to apostatize mankind from the 
line of duty which conscience pointed out to tread;" 
and the Mennonites, miwilling to sacrifice their principles 
of religion upon the altar of expediency, were not 
tolerated to enjoy unmolestedly the privilege of worship- 
ing God according to the dictates of conscience. Many 
o»f the ancestors of those who first settled in this county, 
wiiose lineal descendants still possess the lands pur- 
diased and improved by them, were beheaded, some 
beaten with many stripes, others incarcerated, and sonaft 

*Coloncl Robert Hunter, appointed Governor of New York, 
eu'rivcd at that province, June 14, 1710, brought with him 3,000 
Palatines, who, in the previous year, had fled to England from 
tlie rage of persecution in Germany. Many of whom settled 
in the city of New York; others in Germantown, Livingston 
Manor, Columbia county, and others in Pennsylvania.— 
Smith's Neiv York, I. 123. 

Smith says "the Queen's liberality to these people was no 
more benelicial to them, than serviceable to the couuti-y." 



72 HISTORY OF 

banished from Switzerland. Of those who suffered, and 
who might be mentioned, were Hans Landis, at Zurich, 
in Switzerland, Hans Miller, Hans Jacob Hess, Rudolph 
Bachman, Ulrich Miller, Oswald Landis, Fanny Landis, 
Barbara Neff, Hans Meylin and two of his sons — all 
these suffered between 1638 and 1643. 

Martin Meylin, son of Hans, was an eminent minister 
of the gospel of the Mennonite church, in the Palatinate 
and Alsace. His talents were above the mediocrity. — 
He rendered himself conspicuous as an Ecclesiastical 
writer ; his manuscripts on the sufferings of the Menno- 
nites of 1645, and -other works of his, as well as those 
by Jeremiah Mantgalt, his colleague, were subsequently 
published, and are copiously quoted, by that voluminous 
writer, T. Von Bracht, author of the Maertyrer 
Spiegel. 

Those who emigrated to Pennsylvania had fled from 
the Cantons of Zurich, Bern, Shaffhausen, Switzerland, 
to Alsace, above Strasburg,* where they remained for 
some time, thence they came to the province of Penn- 
sylvania. 

The offence of which they were guilty, bringing dov/n 
upon them so much suffering and persecution, was their 
non-conformity to what seemed to them, at least, a cor- 

*Many of the Mennonites fled from the Cantons of Zurich, 
Berne, Schaffhausen, &c., Switzerland— several edicts were 
issued forbidding them the free exercise of their rehgious 
opinions. One at Schaffhausen, A. D. 1650. One was issued 
by the Prince of Newberg, A. D. 1653: in 1671, they were se- 
verely persecuted, and extensively dispersed. — BrachVs His- 
tory, p. 1019-1023.— £?i^. Trans. . 

Extract from a letter written by Jacob Everling in Obersuelt- 
zen, April 7, 1671 : "In answer to the inquiry of your friends, 
touching the condition of our Swiss brethren in the department 
of Bern, it is an unvarnished fact, that they are in a distressed 



LANCASTER COUNTT. 73 

rupt practice, "To hear all manner of preaching." — 
They then had^ and even at the present day, some have 
conscientious scruples in attending public worship with 
other religious assemblies. They also did, as they now 
do, openly discard the doctrine of self-defence and vio- 
lent resistance. They have been, and are still, opposed to 
war ; they believe it comports illy with the cliristian pro- 
fession to fight with carnal weapons. They have 
always been peaceable, and domestic in their habits. 
They ever cultivated the mild arts of peace, and tiiisted 
to their own domestic resources. 

The descendants of the Puritans boast that their an- 
cestors fled from the face of their persecutors, \villing to 
encounter ^perils in the wilderness and perils by tlie 
heathen,' rather than be deprived, by the ruthless perse- 
cutor, of the free exercise of their religion. The descen- 
dRiiiz of the Swiss Mennonites, who, amid hardships and 
trials, made the first settlements among the tawny sons 
of the forest, in the west end of Chester county, can lay 
claim to more. Their ancestors did not seek for them- 
selves and theirs only, the unmolested exercise of faith, 
and the practice of worship ; but they in (urn did not 

condition — four weeks since they had arrested near forty per- 
sons, male and female — one of them has since arrived at our 
place. They also whipped a u^ister of the word, took 
him out in the country as far as Burgund)^ — marked him with 
a branding- iron, and let him go among the French ; but as he 
could not speak their language, he had to wander three dayg 
before he could get his wound dressed and obtain any refresh- 
ment, &c. — Brachfs His. p. 1022 

Fropn the same, dated May 23d, 1761 : The persecution of 
our friends still continues in all its violence, so that we are as- 
tonished that they do not make greater haste to leave the 
country. One or two occasionally arrive here in a miserable 
condition; but the most of them stay above Strasburg, in 
Alsace ; some chopping wood, others labor in the vineyard, &c. 

7 



74 HISTORY OP 

persecute others, who differed from them m religious 
opinion. They plead for universal toler^ion, and their 
practice confirmed it. 

About the year 1706 or 1707, a number of the perse- 
cuted Swiss Mennonites went to England, and made a 
particular agreement with the Honorable Proprietor, 
William Penn, at London, for lands to be taken up."* — 
Several families, from the Palatinate, descendants of the 
distressed Swiss, emigrated to America and settled in 
Lancaster county in the year 1709."t 

The traditions, respecting the first visit, to the place of 
subsequent settlement, are discrepant. From public 
documents and some private papers in the possession of 
Abraham Meylin, and others, residing in West Lampe- 
ter township, we may confidently state that the Menno- 
nites commenced a settlement in 1709 or 1710, at the 
place where the Herr's and Meylins now reside, near 
Willow Street. 

A Swiss company, to emigrate to America, and settle 
in the wilderness, had been organized, but who the pro- 
jector of it was, we cannot state. The pioneers were 
Hans Meylin, his son Martini and Johii,§ Hans Herr, 
John Rudolph Bundely, Martin Kendig, Jacob Miller, 

*Col. Rec. III. 397. 

fhn Jahr 1709, karnen et!H|e famiiien vod der Pfalz v;elcac 
von den vcrtriebenen Scliweizern abstamiTiten und iiessen 
sich nieder in Lancaster County — Benjamin Eby^s Geschichten 
der Mennoniten, p. 151. 

t Martin Meylin, son of Hans Meyhn, was the first gun-smith 
■.vithin the limits of Lancaster county ; as early as 1719, he 
erected a loring-milU on what is known as Meylin's run, on 
the farm now owned by Martin Meylin, West Lampeter town- 

^John Meylin connected himself with the Ziehen Taeger, at 
Ephrata — he assumed the name ' Amos^' or '■Bruder Amos.^ 



LANCASTER COUNTY. /5 

Martin Oborholtz, Hans Funk. Michael Oborholtz, Wen- 
del Bowman and others, who came to Conestogo in 
1709, selected a tract of ten thousand acres of land on 
the north side of Pequae creek, and shortly afterwards, 
procured a warrant for the same. It is dated October 
10, 1710 — the warrant was recorded, and the land sur- 
veyed, the 23d of the same month. The 27th of April, 
1711, the Surveyor General, at the request of the first 
purchasers, subdivided the said ten thousand acres, 
^^into so many parts as they had previously agreed 
upon.'' 

It appears from tradition and other corroborating testi- 

ship. He was esteemed one of the most skilful workmen, m 
iron, of his day. He was an active, useful member of the new 
colony ; and transacted much of their business abroad. 

We here present a few copies of many papers in the pos- 
session of Abraham Meylin, Mill-wright, grandson of Martin 
Meylin, from which it will sufficiently appear that he transact- 
ed business abroad. 

In 1729, an act was passed to naturalize many of the Swiss 
and German settlers — April 14th, 1730— Received of Martin 
Meylin £14, 4s. 6d. for the naturalization of seven persons. 

Samuel Blunston. 

In 1729, the fears of the government were excited, because 
the Germans adhered to each other, and used their own lan- 
guage exclusively; their emigration to this country was to bo 
discouraged by passing an act to lay a duty of forty shillings per 
head on all aliens I ! 

Received, September 29th, 1731, of Martin Meylin, £8, lis. 
8d. for passage and head money of John Eschellman. 

Thomas Lawrence, 

Philadelphia, 17th, 3d mo., 1729— -Received of Martin Mey- 
lin, £10, 18s. 8d. money of Pa., which with £9, formerly paid 
to me by James Dawson, is in full for the principal, interest 
and quit-rents, due to the proprietaries for 200 hundred acres 
of land near Conestogo, first granted and surveyed to the said 
James Dawson, but now in possession of said Martin Meylin. 

Jakes Steel, Receiver General. 



7- HISTORY OP 

mony, that by virtue of the agreement with William 
Penn, and permission from the Deputy Governor, Honv 
Charles Gookin, they commenced making improvements: 
before a warrant had been issued, and that while some 
were felling trees, removing underbrush, building cabins, 
others went to Philadelphia to obtain a warrant for their" 
choice tract of woods. The following documents 
strengthen the tradition to be correct in the main facts. 

"By the commissioners of property — Whereas we 
have^ agreed with John Rudolph Bundely, Martin Ken- 
dig, Jacob Miller, Hans Herr, Martin Oborholtz, Hans 
Funk, INIichael Oborholtz and one Wendel Bowman, 
Swissers, lately arrived in this province, for ten thousand 
acres of land,* situate on the northwesterley side of a 
liill, about twenty miles easterly from Gonnystogoe, near 
the head of Pec^quin creek, for which said land, they are 
to pay the sum of five hundred pounds, sterling money 
of Great Britain, in manner following: that is to say, the 
sum of one hundred pounds, part thereof in hands, at 
ye insuing of these presents, the sum of one hundred 
pounds more thereof (together with forty eight pounds, 
like money, being the interest of four hundred pounds 

*It was part of Penn's policy to sell large tracts in one 
body, and under such restrictions as to induce families to unite 
in settlements. In a proclamation, concerning the treaty of 
land, dated in Old England, the 24th of the 11th month, 1686, 
Penn declares, " Since there was no other thing I had in my 
-eye in the settlement of this province, next to the advancement 
of virtue, than the comfortable situation of the inhabitants 
therein; and for that end, with the advice and consent of the 
most eminent of the first purchasers, ordained that every town- 
ship, consisting of five thousand acres, should have ten fami- 
lies, at least, to the end the province might not lie like a wil- 
derness, &c." 

Those who purchased in large tracts were required by certain 



LANCASTER COUNTr. 77 

for nro years) at the end of two years and six months, 
from the time of the sm'vey of the said lands, (one-half 
year's interest of the whole being abated), one hundred 
and eighteen pounds further, part thereof with interest, 
included within one year, then next after one hundred 
and twelve pounds (the interest being included) further 
part thereof, within one year, then next after, the sum of 
one hundred and six pounds full residue thereof, that of 
all interest for the same, within one year, that next fol- 
lowing, so that the said five hundred pounds and interest, 
as aforesaid, is to be paid in six years next after the time 
of survey. And also that the said purchasers, their heirs 
and assigns, shall pay unto the proprietary and Governor 
William Penn, his heirs and assigns, the sum of one 
shilhng sterling aforesaid, quit-rent yea^rly forever, 
for every hundred acres of the said ten thousand 
acres of land, and that said purchasers shall have said 
lands free of quit-rent for the two first years next after 
the survey thereof, and the said purchasers requesting of 
us a warrant for the location and survey of the said land 
aforesaid. These are, therefore, to authorize and require 

concessions to plant a family within three years after it was 
surveyed, on every thousand acres. These regulations were, 
however, not generally observed. 

By warrant, dated, July 5, 1712, there were surveyed, l^ov, 
1, 1712, Pequea, now Strasburg township, for Amos Strcttle, 
<i380 acres, who afterwards sold it in smaller tracts ; the prin- 
cipal persons to v/hom he sold, prior to 1734, were Henry 
Shank, Ulrich Brackbill, Augustine Widower, Alexander 
Fridley, Martin Miller, Geoi'^e Snavely, Christian Musser, An- 
drew Shultz, John Fonts, Jacob Stein, John Hickman, John 
Powman, Valentme Miller, Jacob Hain, John Herr, Henry 
Carpenter, Daniel Ferree, Isaac Lefevre, Christian Stoner, 
John Beiers, Hans Lein, Abraham Smith, John Jacob Hpover, 
Septimus Robinson, Samuel Hess, Samuel Boyer, John 
Musgrove. 



78 HISTOKY OF 

thee to survey or cause to be surveyed, imto the said 
purchasers the full quantity of ten thousand acres of 
land (with reasonable allowance for roads and highways) 
in one entire tract, at or near the place aforesaid, and to 
subdivide the same (if they request it) mto so many 
small tracts or parts as they shall agree or appoint to 
each of them his respective share to be holden by the 
purchasers, their heirs and assigns, under the rents, pay- 
ments and agreements aforesaid, subject to distress for 
the said rent in case of non-payment, and of thy trans- 
actions and doings in the premises, by virtue of these 
presents thou art to make such returns into the Secretary's 
onice, Y\dth all reasonable expedition. Given under our 
hands and seals of the province, the tenth day of the 
eight month at Philadelphia, A. D. 1710. 

EDWARD SHIPPEN, 
GRIFFITH OWEN, 
THOS: STORY." 
To Jacob Taylor, Surveyor General. 
Warrant Book, 1700—1714, p. 229. 

On the 23d of October, the land was surveyed and di- 
vided among the ^leylins, Herr, Kendig, and others of 
the company. 

Haviiig erected temporary shelters, to answer their 
want:^', some set about it, and put up dwellings of more 
durableness. Martin Kendig erected one of hewed wal- 
nut logs on his tract, which withstood tlie storms and 
ram — the gnawings of the tooth of time, for rising of one 
hundred and ten years, and might, had it not been re- 
moved in 1841, and its place taken up by one of more 
durable materials, have withstood the corrodmg elements 
for generations to come. They now began to build 



LANCASTER COUNTT. 79 

houses and add new acquisitions of lands to their first 
possessions.* 

To depend upon their Indian neighbors for provisions, 
was useless — the Indians depended mainly upon game 
and fish — of coiuse, the supplies oi" provision were 
scanty, and what they had they were under necessity to 
transport from a distant settlementt for some time, till 
the seeds sown in a fertile soil, yielded some thirty, 
others forty fold. Fish and fowl were plenty in the 
wilds. The season of their arrival was favorable — 
around them they saw crowned the tali hazel with rich 
festoons of a luscious grape. J 

♦Martin Kendig, lately an inhabitant of Switzerland, had 
surveyed him a tract of land in Strasburg township, 1060 acres, 
bounded by lands of Martin MeyHn, Christian Herr, and John 
Funk. Another tract of 530 acres, bounded by John Herrs- 
land. Another of 265 acres. — ^Recorded Sept. 1711 

Christopher Franciscus, of Switzerland, 530 acres, bounded 
by lemds of Jacob Miller, Wendel Bowman, John Rudolph 
Bundely— in 1710, John Funk 530 acres, bounded by lands of 
Martin Kendig, Jacob Miller.— Surveyed Feb. 28, 1711. John 
Rudolph Bundely, late of Switzerland, 500 acres, bounded by 
lands of Wendel Bowman, Surveyed, 1710, and Martin Mey- 
lin, 265 acres. Christian Herr, 530 acres, John Herr, 530 acres, 
all recorded July 3, 1711. Wendel Bowman 530 acres, re- 
corded July 7, 1711. The warrants for all the above tracts are 
dated 1710. 

tTheir nearest mill was at Wilmington, on the Brandywine, 
Delaware. 

t"Of living creatures, fish, fowl, and the beasts of the wood,, 
here, are divers sorts, some for food and profit, and some for 
profit only; for food and profit, the elk, as big as a small ox; 
deer, bigger than ours; beaver, raccoon, rabbits, squirrels and 
some eat young bear, and commend it. Of fowl of the land, 
there is the turkey, (forty and fifty pounds weight) which is 
very g,reat ; pheasajits, heath-birds, pigeons and partriges, in 



80 HISTORY OF 

After they had been scarce fairly seated, they thought 
of their old homes, their country and friends — they 
sighed for those whom they left for a season; "They 
remembered them that loere in bonds as bound with them 
and which suffered adversity," and ere the earth began 
to yield a return in ^* kindly fruit s^^ to their labors, con* 
sultations were held and measures devised, to send some 
one to their Vaterland, to brmg the residue of some of 
their families; also their kindred and brothers in a land 
of trouble and oppression, to their new home ; into a 
land where peace reigned, and abundance of the comforts 
of life could not fail ; they had strong faith in the fruit- 
fulness and natural advantages of their choice of lands. 
They knew these would prove to them and their children,, 
the home of plenty — their anticipations have never 
failed. 

A council of the whole society was called ; at which 
their venerable minister and pastor, Hans Herr, pre- 
sided, and after fraternal and free interchange of senti- 
ment, much consultation and serious reflection, lots, in 
conformity to the custom of the Mennonites, were cast, 

abundance, Sec. Of fish, sturgeon, herring, rock, shad, cats- 
head, eel, trout, salmon, &c. 

The fruits that I find in the woods, are the white and black 
mulberry, chesnut, walnut, plums, strawberries, cranberries, 
hurtleberries, and grapes of divers sorts. The great red grape, 
called by ignorance, the fox-grape." — Pemi's letter to the Free 
Society of traders^ at London, dated Philadelphia, the 16^/i August, 
1683. 
Well might the poet say, 

" Quaevis sylva feris, et piscibus amnis abundat ; 
Fertque suum fructus quaelibet arbor onus. 
With beasts the woods, with fish the streams abound ; 
The bending trees with plenteous fi'uits are crowned." 

Makin. 



LANCASTEB COUNTY. 81 

to decide who should return to Europe for the families 
left behind and others. The lot fell upon Hans Herr, who 
had left five sons, Christian, Emanuel, John, Abraham 
and one, whose name we have not learned.* This deci- 
,sion was agreeable to his own mind; but to his friends 
and charge, it was unacceptable; to be separated von 
ihrein prediger, from their preacher, could be borne with 
reluctance and heaviness of heart only. They were all 
too ardently attached to him to cheerfully acquiesce in 
tliis deterinination — reluctantly they consented to his 
departure — after much anxiety manifested on account of 
this unexpected call of their pastor from them; their sor- 
rows Avere alleviated by a proposal made on the part of 
Martm Kendig, that, if approved, he would take Hans 
Herr's place — this was cordially assented to by all. — 
Without mmecessary delay, IVIartin, the devoted friend of 
the colony, made ready — went to Philadelphia, and there 
embarked for Europe ; after a prosperous voyage of five 
or six weeks, he reached the home of his friends, where 
he was received with apostolic greetings and salutations 
of joy. Having spent some time in preliminary arrange- 
ments, he and a company of Swiss and some Ger- 
mans, bade a lasting adieu to their old homes, and dis- 
solved the tender ties of friendship with those whom 
they left. With his company, consisting of the residue 
of some of those in America, and of Peter Yordea, Jacob 
Miller, Hans Tschantz, Henry Fmik, John Houser, John 
Bachman, Jacob Weber, Schlegel, Venerick, Guldin, and 
others, he returned to the new home, where they were all 
cordially embraced by their fathers and friends. 

*Three of Hans Herr's sons settled in what is now called 
West Lampeter township, and two in Manor township ; from 
these sprang a numerous connexion of Herrs ; rising of one 
hundred and fifty of that name, descendants of Hans Herr, are 
taxables, residing within the present limits of the county. 



82 HISTORY OF 

With this accession, the settlement was considerably 
augmented, and now numbered about thirty families y 
though they lived in the midst of the Mingoe or Cones- 
togo, Pequae and Shawanese Indians, they were never- 
theless safely seated; they had nothing to fear from the 
Indians.* They mingled with them in fishing and hunt- 
ing. "The Indians were hospitable and respectful to the 
whites, and exceedingly civil." 

This little colony improved their lands, planted 
orchards,! erected dwellings, and a meetuig and school- 
house for the settlement, in which religious instruction^ 
on the Sabbath, and during the week, a knowledge of 
letters, reading and writing, were given to those who 

♦The Honorable Chas. Gookin, Esq., Lieut. Gov. of Pa. 
made a journey to Conestogo, and in a speech to the Indians, 
June 18th, 1711, says, "He intends to present five belts of 
wampum to the Five Nations, and one to you, of Conestogo» 
and requires your friendship to the Palatines, settled near 
Pequea." 

To which they answer, "That they are well pleased with the 
Governor's speech * * * "As to the Palatines, they are in 
their opinion safely seated."— CoZ. Rec. II. p. 55.6-7. 

The several nations of Indians, living on the Susquehanna 
at this time, w^ere Mingoes, or those of the Conestogo, Dela- 
ware Indians settled at Peshtang, above Conestogo, and other 
adjacent places, and Ganawese. " The Piquaws had their 
wigwams scattered along the banks of the Pequea."— Co?. 
Rec. II. 489. 

fSome of the first planted fruit trees may yet be seen on the 
farm of Christian Herr, great grandson of Hans Herr. There 
we saw a cherry tree in full vigor, which, it is said, is rising of 
one hundred and twenty years old. We measured it, and 
found it 15 feet and 4 feet inches in circumference. Also a 
a Catalpa, Bignonia catalpa, which was transplanted by 
Christian Herr's mother; it measures fifteen feet in cir* 
cumference. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 83 

assembled to receive information. The Mennonites 
never wasted money in rearing stately temples, or in 
building massive colleges, in which to impart useful 
knowledge. They ever observed it religiously, to have 
their children instructed in reading and writing, at least, 
since the days of Menno Simon, the great reformer, and 
to bring them up in habits of industry, and teaching 
them such trades as were suitable to their wants, expe- 
dient and adapted to their age and constitution."* Their 
sons and daughters were kept under strict parental au- 
thority, and as a consequence, were not led into tempta- 
tions by which so many youths, of both sexes, at the 
present day, are ruined. 

Their religious meetings and schools were for a long 
time held in the sam.e rude buildings. Among their first 
preachers were Hans Herr, Hans Tschantz, Uirich Brech- 
billjt who was accidentally killed,' while driving his 
team on the road to Philadelphia. Their ministers were 
men of sound minds, of irreproachable conversation. — 
In this country, the Mennonite ministers, especially in 
this county, are not, in the parlance of the age, classi- 
€ally educated. " In Europe, at Amsterdam, the Menno- 
nites have a college, in vv^hich all the useful branches are 
taught. Students of Theology receive instruction in a 

*"Haltetimd foerdert dia kindern zu lesen und schreiben ; 
Ichret sie spinnen and andere Haende werkthim, was ihren 
Jahren und personen nach fueglich, nuetzlich, ertracglich und 
bequem ist." — Menno Simon. 

tlT39, October den 19ten, Uirich Breckbill, cin diener der 
gemeinde ist auf der Philadelphia Slrasse, ir.it seinem wagen 
ploctzlich umgekommen. — Mcylin's Family Bible. 

0;7=-Samuel Miller, son of Jacob Miller, was the first child 
born in the Swiss Colony; he v/as born January 22, 1711. 

Jacob Miller, Samuel's father, was born in Europe, 1663, 
cameto America, in 1710, died ths 20th April, 1739— interred 



84 HISTORY or 

room, containing the library, over the Mennonite Chapel. 
The lectures are delivered in Latin ; and each student, 
before his entrance, must be acquainted with Latin and 
Greek. They attend at a literary institution for instruc- 
tion in Hebrew, Ecclesiastical History, Physics, Natural 
and Moral Philosophy, &c. The college was established 
nearly a century ago, and was at first supported by the 
Amsterdam Mennonites, alone; but lately, other Men- 
nonite churches sent in their contributions. Some of the 
students receive support from a public fund ; they are all 
intended for the christian ministry." — Br Ypaij. 

in Tschantz's burying ground, now on the farm, owned by 
Doctor Martin Muster. 

Barbara Meylin, consort of Martin Meylin, was born in the 
year 1672; after living twenty-four years in matrimony, she 
died April 2d 1742, aged 70 years. 

Hans Meylin, born*in 1714, died at the age of 19 years, the 
26th of December, 1733 — all interred in Tschantz's grave-yard. 
Preacher Tschantz set apart from his farm t^vo hundred and 
ilfly-six perches for the purposes of a grave-yard. Released 
all personal claim thereto in 1740, for the use of the neighbor- 
hood. 

NoTE.'—Menno Simon, one of the distinguished reformers of 
the sixteenth century, a man whose apostolic spirit and labors 
have never yet been fully qj)preciated, was born at Witmar- 
sum, in Friesland, 1505. In 1528 he entered into orders as a 
Homish Priest; but after examining the New Testament for 
himself, he seceded from that sect. 

About the year 1537, he was earnestly solicited by many of 
the christians with whom he connected himself, to assume 
among them the rank and functions of a public teacher; and 
as he looked upon these brethren as being exempt from the 
fanatical phrensy of the Munsterites, he yielded to their ea- 
treaties. Their community was greatly scattered till 1538, 
about that time they obtained a regular state of church order, 
separate from all Dutch and German Protestants, who, at that 
time, had not been formed into one body by any bonds of 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 85 

A settlement having begun, forming the nucleus of a 
neighborhood or community of neighbors, German and 
French settled around them; among these were the 
Ferree family, Daniel Ferree and his sons; Isaac Le- 
fevre,* Slaymaker and others, of whom a particular ac- 
count will be given in the sequel. Every new country, 

unity. This advantage was procured them by the sensible and 
prudent management of that champion in Protestanism, Menno 
Simon. This wise, learned and prudent man, as said before, 
Vas chosen by them as their leader, that they might by his 
paternal efforts, in the eyes of all Christendom, be cleared 
from the blame which some of the Munsterites had incurred, 
and which the enemies of the friends of Menno laid to their 
charge. Menno accomplished this object — some of the per- 
fectionists he reclaimed to order, and others he excluded. He 
purified also the religious doctrines of the Baptists. He was 
indefatigable in labors — he founded many communities, viz : — 
in Friesland, Holland, Groningen, East Friesland, Brabant — 
on the borders of the Baltic Sea — in Germany, in the Palati- 
nate, in Alsace, Bavaria, Suabia, Switzerland, Austria, Mora- 
via, &c. He suffered more persecution, and endured more 
fatigue, than all the rest of the reformers of his day — ^he died 
the death of the righteous, at Fresenburg, January 31st, 1561. 

*" William Penn, Proprietor, &c. — Whereas my late com- 
missioners of property, by a warrant bearing date the 10th 
October, 1710, granted unto John Rudolph Bundely, Hans 
Herr, and divers other Germans, late inhabitants in or 
near the Palatinate of the Rhine, 10,000 acres of land, to be 
laid out by them on the north side of a hill about twenty miles 
easterly of Conestogo, and near the head of Pequea creek, in 
this province, by virtue of which warrant there was surveyed 
and subdivided, at the instance of the said Martin Kendig, for 
the use of Daniel Ferree and Isaac Lefevre, late of Steinmeis- 
ter^ in the Palatinate of the Rhine, a certain tract of land, situ- 
ated and bounded by lands of Thomas Story, &c., two thousand 
acres.''— Recorded July I2th, 1712. 



86 HISTORY or 

it is believed, has had its man of " notoriety^^ — Ken- 
tucky had a Boone — Pequae, a Franciscus.* 

Not to deviate too far from a chronological order, we 
sliall now present Governor Gookin's minutes of a 
journey in 1711, to the Indians in the vicinage of the 
Palatines ; such the Mennonite settlement was called. 

On information received from Peter Bezallion, that the 
Queen and some of the chiefs of the Conestogo Indians, 
would be glad to see the Governor and some of the 
council, touching the death of one Le Tore, who it ap- 
pears, had been killed before Gookin's arrival in America, 
and to have a talk with some of the chiefs of the Five 
Nations, Avho were waiting ; he and some of the coun- 
cil proceeded to Conestogo. The following is a copy of 
the journal, which was laid before the council at a ses- 
sion, June 23, 1711. 

'' At Conestogo, June 18, 1711. 
Present: — The Hon. Charles Gookin, Esq., Lieut. 
Governor, and Joseph Growdon, Richard Hill, Griffith 
Owen, Caleb Pusey, Esq., council. 

^Christopher Franciscus was an adventurous Swiss, and one 
of the first settlers in the county. It is said the current of dar- 
ing runs in the blood of the Franciscuses. His sons, after hiiii, 
and his son's sons, and grandson's sons have, since the old 
man's day, been known as stout men. They made many " a 
fellow'' cry out, in the language of Terence, aurihus tenco lu- 
pum^ i. e. / know not which way to turn^ as said the wolf when 
Franciscus hugged him. 

Of Daniel Boone, the Kentucky adventurer, it is said, he 
slew a bear; of Franciscus and his daughter, it is related, they 
eviscerated a wolt, with a similar weapon, a butcher knife.— 
We give the traditional story as we have it from one who as- 
sures us, it is true. While Francis, one evening in the fall of 
the year, was reclining on his bed, and the rest of the family 
having all retired, except a daughter, who was about "laying 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 87 

A present of 50 pounds of powder, 1 piece of Stroud- 
water, 1 piece of DiifRls, 100 pounds of shot — ^being 
laid upon the floor, the Governor, by Indian Harry, the 
Interpreter thus spoke : 

Governor Penn, upon all occasions, is willing to show 
how great a regard he bears to you, therefore has sent 
this small present, a forerunner of a greater one to 
come next spring, to you, and hath required me to ac- 
quaint you that he is about to settle some people upon 
the branches of the Potomack, and doubts not but the 
same mutual friendship which has all along as brothers 
passt betwixt the inhabitants of this Government and 
you, will also continue betwixt you and those he is about 
to settle ; he intends to present five belts of wampum to 
the Five Nations, and one to you of Conestogo, and 
requires your friendship to the Palatines, settled near 
Fcquae. 

To which they answer : 

That they are extremely well pleased with the Go- 

her head on the ear," tlie father heard a noise at the cabin's 
door, be went and opened it, at that instant a wolf seized him 
by the breast of his jacket — Franciscus hugged him tightly — 
called to his daughter to bring the butcher-knife and rip open 
the beast — she did — and the wolf was butchered. 

The place where the wolf was slain, is marked by the head of 
a fine spring, near Lampeter Square, where Daniel Zimmerman, 
who bought of Franciscus, erected a substantial sandstone 
house in 1750. Daniel was the son of Henry Zimmerman, or 
Carpenter, a Swiss patriot, of whom we shall have occasion to 
speak hereafter. 

Col. Bouquet, a Swiss, in the English service during the 
French and Indian War, visited Daniel Zimmerman, in 1758, 
while his detachment of men was quartered at Lancaster. 

John Miller, grandfather of Jacob Miller, who communi- 
cated these facts, raised one Paulus, who was Bouquet's driver 
— he drove what B. called miin roth wagelii. 



SS HISTORT OP 

vernor's speech ; but as they are at present in war with 
the Toscororoes and other Indians, they think that place 
not safe for any christians, and are afraid if any damage 
should happen to these the blame may be laid wpon 
them, that settlement being situated betwixt them and 
those at war with them. Jis to the Palatines, they^ etre^ 
in their ojnnion^ safely seated, but earnestly desire that 
the death of Le Tore may bo now adjusted, for that 
they shall not think themselves safe till it is." 

July ISth, Tuesday about twelve. 

The Senoquois and Shawnois met the Governor and 
Council, Opessah, chief of the Shawnois, by Martin 
Chartier, interpreter, thus spoke : 

Were it posssible for us by presents, or any other way^ 
to atone for the lives of these young men, our young 
people unadvisedly slew, we would be partly willing to 
make satisfaction, and such a condescention would for- 
ever be gratefully remembered and more eagerly engage 
us, and for the future render us more careful. The 
uneasiness Ave had on that account was such that we 
could not sleep until the last time the Governor and 
his people were up here, and which time we had some 
hopes given us of adjusting the matter, since the 
murderers are all dead, save one, who is gone to 
Mesassippi. 

To which the Governor answered : 

That the laws of England were such that whosoever 
killed a man must run the same fate ; yet considering the 
previous cicrumstances to that murder, the length of 
the time since the account, the distance of place where 
acted from this Government, and before my coming here, 
and the persons all, save one, who is absconded since, 
are dead, I am wilUng to forbear further prosecution on 
enquiring into it, but withal caution you if any such 



LASreASTER COUNTY. 89 

thing hereafter falls out, you may be assured I shall as 
well know how to do justice, as I have now showed you 
mercy, for which they return the Governor their hearty 
thanks, and Opessah assures that if hereafter any such 
thing should happen, he himself would be executioner, 
and burn them that should dare do it. 

The Senequois acquaint : 

That Opessah being thereto solicited by John Hans 
Steelman, had sent out some of his people, either to 
bring back or kill Francis De Le Tore and his company. 
Opessah, he aiRrms he was entirely innocent, for that 
John Hans came to his cabin, where he and his young 
people, who were there going a hunting, were in coun- 
cil, told him that some of his slaves and dogs (meaning 
Le Tore and company) were fled, therefore desired him 
forthwith to send some of his people to bring them back 
or kill them, and take goods for their trouble, at which 
motive Opessah being surprised, told him that he ought, 
by no means, to discourse after that manner before young 
people who were going to the woods, and might, 
by accident, meet those people, and therefore ordered 
him to desist, utterly denying his request. 

The Senoquois also acquainted the Governor that Le 
Tore had taken a boy from them and had sold 
him at New York, and requested the Governor 
would enquire after him, that he might hear from him 
again. '^ 



90 HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER II. 

Ferree family make preparations to emigrate to America — Procure certifi. 
cates of civil and religious standing — By way of Holland and England 
come to New York — Acquire the rights of citizenship — Settle in Lan- 
caster county — Several documents of interest — Tradition of the ancestors 
of the Ferrees, by Joel Lightner, Esq. — Tuscorora Indians unite with the 
Five Nations. 

About the year 1709, as stated in a preceding chapter, 
a large emigration from the Lower Palatinate to the 
British colonies, took place. Among these were the well 
known names, besides those mentioned in the last chap- 
ter, of Weigand, Fisher, Kennan, Volck, Plettel, Gulch, 
Hiibertson, Schaneman, Lefever, Ferree and others, as 
they are at present spelled. Some of them located them- 
selves and became permanent inhabitants of what is now 
Lancaster county. It is certain that the Ferrees and Le- 
fevers, who were what was called Walloons, did settle 
and improved lands, taken up by Martin Kendig,* 
which was part of ten thousand acres previously pur- 
chased from the proprietary's commissioners, by him, a 
member of a Swiss company ; and it is both interesting 
and instructive to see with what carefulness and regard 
for their own characters, both as citizens and christians 
for the good opinion of the world, these sterling people 

*"At a meeting of the commissioners Sept. 10, 1712 
— the late commissioners having granted 10,000 acres of 
land to the Palatines, by their warrant dated 6th, 8th, 
1710, in pursuance thereof there was laid out to Martin Kendig, 
besides the 2,000 acres already confirmed and paid for, the like 
quantity of 2,000 acres, towards Susquehanna, of which the 
General Surveyor has made a return. The said Martin Ken- 
dig now appearing desirous that the said land may be granted 



LANCASTER COUNTT. 91 

conducted their removal from their former, and the set- 
tlement in their new homes. 

There is little similarity between the proceedings of 
these progenitors of some of our good old fashioned 
Lancaster county farmers, and those of the flitting popu- 
lation of the present day. The latter in their inconsid- 
ered removals only seem desirous of carrying with them 
as large an amount as possible of this world's wealth, 
regardless of any other proof of respectability, and 
trusting to it to make way for them in all the pursuits 
and relations of life. By way of contrast, and of gain- 
ing instruction from the actions of our ancesto-rs, we 
shall present a somewhat detailed account of the re^ 
moval and settlement of a particular family. 

Owing to French incursions into the Palatinate and 
other oppressions of a religious nature, the family of the 
Ferrees turned to seek a home in the new world, about 
the beginning of the last century, when thousands came 
to America. Its members were Daniel Ferree, his 
widowed mother, (the wife of Daniel Ferree deceased) 
his wife and their two sons, Andrew and John. The 
first step as good citizens was to obtain the consent 
of their comitry to their departure, as appears by the 
following original document. 

and confirmed to Maria Warenbuer, for whom the same was 
taken up, or intended, and who- is to pay the consideration of 
it. But upon further consideration of the matter, it is agreed 
among themselves that the said land shall be confirmed to 
Daniel Fierre and Isaac Lefevre,^ two of the said widow's sons, 
and the consideration money, viz: j£140 at £7 per 100 acres, 
by agreement having been for some time due, but is now to be 
paid down in one sum. 'Tis agreed they shall only pay £10 
for interest, that is £150 for the whole." 

(f Isaac Lefevre was her son-in law.) 



92 HISTORT Of 

Demnach Maria, Daniel Fuehrers Wittib, mit ihrem 
sohn Daniel Fuehre, dessen Eheweib iind noch andern 
sechs ledigen Kindem, ihrer hoffenden Besserung, Gele- 
genheit imd Wohlfahrts willen, von Steinweiler ans der 
ober Schultheiserey Bittigheim, des Churpfaeltzischen 
oberamts Germersheim, auf die insiil Pennsylvanien per 
Holland mid Engelland sich zubegeben imd allda zu 
wohnen Yorhaben, und dahero mn ein beglaubtiges 
Certifikat, dasz sie mit vorwissen Ton dem ort Stein- 
weiler geschieden und sich gewaehrter ihrer wolmimgs- 
zeit vertraeglich und ohne klag yerhalten, auch niemand 
mit schulden verwandt, desgleichen keiner leibeigen- 
schaft zugethan, gebuehrend angesucht : als hat man 
denselben ihr suchen and bitten willfahren, anbey miver- 
halten woUen, dasz obgedachte leute ganz offenbar von 
hier wegziehen, waehrender zeit als ihr vater, die wittib 
und kinder in mehrgedachten Steinweiler gewolmt, sich 
fromm und ehrbarlich verhalten, dasz man sie gern laen- 
ger all hier und der orten gesehen haette. So sind sie 
auch der leibeigenschaft nicht unterworfen, massen die 
ober schultheiserey Bittigheim, worin Steinweiler gelegen 
freyzuegig; auch haben sie ihrem gebuehrendon abzug 
oder nachsteur fuer gnaedigste herrschaft hinterlassen : 
von schulden, damit sie andern verwandt seyn sollen, hat 
man nichts vernommen, als schultheis Hr. Fischer in 
Steinweiler, welcher expresse deswegen gehoert worden^ 
zeugniss alles dessen giebt. Dessen in urkund habe ich 
dieses in abwesenlieit Churpfaelzischen regierungs rath, 
oberamtmann und gemeinschaeft Gudenberg, Fauthe zu 
Altenstatt und ober schultheis allhier Herr von Cun aus- 
gefertiget und den aus dieser nothdurft behaendiget. — 
Siegel Bittigheim den lOten Majtii, 170S. 

[Siegel.] J. P. DIETRICH, Greffier, 



LANCASTER COUNTT. 93 

Translation. — Whereas Maria, Daniel Fuehre's (Fe- 
ries') widow, and her son Daniel Ferie with his wife and 
other six single children, in view of hnproying their 
condition and in furtherance of their prosperity, purpose 
to emigrate from Steinweiler in the mayoralty of Bittig- 
heini, High Bailiwick Germersheim, via Holland and 
England, to the island of Pennsylvania, to reside there, 
tliey have requested an accredited certificate that they 
left the town of Steinweiler with the knowledge of the 
proper authorities, and have deported themselves pe^cea- 
bly andwitlK)ut cause for censure, and are indebted to no 
one, and not subject to vassalage, being dusly solicited, it 
has been thought proper to grant their petition, declaring- 
that the above named persons are not moving away 
clandestinely — that during the time their father, the 
widow and children resided in this place they behaved 
themselves piously and honestly — that it would have 
been highly gratifying to us to see them remain among 
us — that they are not subject to bodily bondage, the 
mayoralty not being subject to vassalage — they have 
also paid for their permission to emigrate ; Mr. Fischer, 
the mayor of Steinweiler being expressly interrogated, 
it has been ascertained that they are not liable for any 
debts. In witness whereof, I have, in the absence of 
the counsellor of the Palatinate, &c., signed these 
presents, gave the same to the persons who intended to 
emigrate. Dated Bittigheim, March 10th, 1708. 

[L. S.] J. P. DIETRICH, Court Clerk. 

Next, as christians, they obtained a certificate of their 
religious standing from the proper church officers, even 
to a statement of the time and place of the christian 
baptism of their young children. No doubt they es- 
teemed the following, which was thus obtained, as the 



94 HISTORY OP 

most valuable article among their possession. We 
present the original and a translation^ 

Temoignage pour Daniel Firre et sa famille. 

Nous Pasteur, Anciens et Diacres de PEglise Rie- 
formee, Vallonne de Pelican au has Palatinat ayants este 
prie par Phonorable Daniel Firre, sa femme Anne Marie 
Leininger, et leurs enfants, Andrie et Jean Firre, de ieur 
accordir un temoignage de Ieur vie et religion, certifions 
et attestons quils out toutjours fait profession de la pure 
Religion Reformee, frequente nos saintes assemblees, 
et participe a la cene du Seigneur avec les autres fideles : 
Au reste ils se sont toutjours comport e honnestement 
sans avoir donne aucun scandale qui soit venu en notre 
connoissance : Estants maintenant sur Ieur depart, pour 
ses establir ailleurs, nous les recommendons a laguarde 
de Dieu et a la bienveillance de tons nos freres en 
Seign : Xt : En foy de quoy nous avons signe ce present 
temoignage de nos signes et marques aecustumees : fait a 
Pelican en nostre consistoire le 10 de Mais, 1708. 
[L. S. MICHAEL MEESSAKOP; 

J. -ROMAN, Pasteur et Inspecteiir, 
PIERRE SSCHARLET, 
JAQUE BAILLEAUX, Biacre, 
JEAN B ARTISTE LA PLACE, Biacre. 

Les enfans sus nome a scavoir, Andrie et Jean Firre 
out esti Baptistes, le premier dans PEglise de Steinviler 
Pan. 1701, le 28 me de Septembre: son, parain. estoit 
Andrie Leininger et sa Mariee Margarithe Leininger, 
L'autre ce scavoir Jean a este Baptize dans PEglise de 
Rhorbac, Pan. 1703, le 8 me de fevrier: le parain 
estoit Abraham Ptillion et Judith Milly tous deux de 
Steinviler. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 95 

Certificate for Daniel Firre and his family. 
Translation. — We, the Pastor, Elders and Deacons 
of the Reformed Walloon Church of Pelican, in the 
JLower Palatinate, having been requested by the Hon- 
orable Daniel Firre, his wife Anne Maria Leininger 
and their children Andrew and John Firre, to grant 
them a testimonial of their life and religion, do certify 
and atfest that they have always made profession of the 
pure Reformed religion, frequented our sacred assemblies, 
and have partaken of the supper of the Lord with the 
otlier members of the faith: in addition to which they 
have always conducted themselves uprightly without 
having given any cause for scandal, that has come to 
our knov/ledge : being now on their departure to settle 
elsewhere, we commend them to the protection of God, 
and to the kindness of all our brethren in the Lord 
Christ. In witness of Avhich we have signed this 
present testimonial, with our signatures and usual 
marks. Done at Pelican in our consistory, the 10th of 
]\Lav, 1708. 

MICHAEL MEESSAKOP, 
J. ROMAN, Pastor and Inspector, 
PETER SSCHARLET, 
JAMES BAILLEAUX, Deacon, 
JOHN BAPTIST LAPLACE, Deacon, 
The Undernamed children, to wit: Andrew and John 
Firre were baptii:ed, the first in the church of Stein- 
weiler in the year 1701, on the 2Sth of September: his 
sponsors were Andrew Leininger and his wife Margaret 
Leininger : the other, to wit : John was baptized in the 
church of Rhorbac, in the year 1703, on the 8th of 
February: the sponsors were Abraham Ptillion and 
Judith Miller, both of Steinweiler. 

Note.— It was customary among the Ileformed to procure a 
church, certificate before leaving their Vaterhnd. 



96 HISTORY OP 

Having openly and honestly adjusted their affairs 
previous to their departure, they bade adieu to their old 
and endeared home, this family, via Holland and 
England* made their way to the 7ietv world, where they 
arrived, sometime in 1709, in the city of New York. — 
Having arrived, and being pleased with the country, 
their next step was to acquire the rights of citizenship 
from the proper authority. The following letters patent, 
under the Privy seal of Queen Anne will sh6w they 
were successful in their application, and will be read 
with interest by the descendants of all named in it. 

Anne, by the grace of God, of Great Britain and Ire- 
land, Queen, defender of faith, &c. To whom all these 
presents may come, know ye that we for good causes 
and considerations especially moving us hereunto by 
our special grace, moving us thereunto, do grant for our- 
selves, oUr heirs and successors to our beloved Joshua 
Rocherthal, Sybella Charlotte, his wife, Christian Joshua 
his son, and Sybella and Susanna his daughters, Law- 
rence Schwisser, and Ann Catharine his wife, and John 

*Accorcling io'the'statements of R, Conyngham, Esq., a man 
of erudition and well known as one of more than ordinary re- 
search into Historical facts, Mary, the mother of Daniel Ferree, 
accompanied by her children, and armed with a spirit of reso- 
lution superior to her sex^ went to London, from thence to 
Kensington, where William Penn resided, to be near Queen 
Anne, of whom he was deservedly a favorite. Madame 
Ferreemade her wishes knov/n to him: William Penn sympa- 
thized with her in her misfortunes and became interested for 
her and her children, and next day introduced her to Queen 
Anne. 

The Queen was delighted in thus being afforded an opportu- 
nity to display the natural feelings of her heart. Lodgings 
were obtained for Madame Ferree in the vicinity until a vessel 
was ready to sail for New York. -^Redmond Cony n gharri's 
Address of July ith, 1642. 



LANCASTER COTTNTY. ' 07 

his son, Henry Rennau, and Johanna his wife, and Law- 
rence and Henry his sons, Susanna Lisboschain, and 
Mary Johanna Lisboschain; Andrew Volk, and Ann 
Catharine his wife, and George Heeronimus his son, and 
IVIary Barbara, and Ann Gertrtraude his daughters, Mi- 
chael Weigand, Ann Catharine his wife, Tobias and 
George his sons, Ann Mary his daughter, Jacob Weber, 
and Ann EUsabeth his wife, and Eve EUsabeth, and 
Eve Mary his daugliters, John Jacob Plettel, Ann Elisa- 
beth his wife, and Margaret, Ann, Sarah and Catharine 
his daughters, John Fisher, and Mary Barbara his wife, 
Melchior Gulch, Ann Catharine his wife, Henry his son, 
and Magdalen his daughter, Isaac Twek, Peter Rose and 
Joannah his wife, Mary Wemarin, and Catharine We- 
marin his daughters, Isaac Febcr,* Catharine his wife, 
and Mraham his son, Daniel Firre, Ann Mary his 
wife and Andrew and John his sons, Hubert Hubert- 
son, and Jacob his son, and Harman Schuneman; 
which persons are truly German Lutherans; and who 

*Undoubtcdly Isaac Le Fevre who had married Catharine, 
the daughter of Mary Ferree, and who settled within the limits 
of this county at the time Daniel Ferree did. Accordiiig to Mr. 
Conyngham's statement, "Isaac Le Fevre was born in 16(39, 
and in 1686, came to Philadelphia from Esopus. He married 
Catharine soon after her arrival." He was but a youth when 
he left his ^a?/.s na^aZ, Fatherland. Mr. C. in an eloquent ad- 
dress on the Early Settlement of the Valley of Pequea, delivered 
July 4, 1842, speaking of the Ferree family, says : " And now 
let me turn your attention to a youth of fourteen : his parents 
had perished in the religious wars which had desolated France 
— an orphan — friendless — he travelled through Holland — went 
to London — came to Kensington where he made known his in- 
tentions to William Penn. Alone'? oh no! he had one com- 
panion — it was his consolator in Europe — it was his comforter 
in Pennsylvania — ^^that companion was his Bible. That young 
lad was Isaac Le Fevre. That Bible is still preserved by the 
family of Le Fevres as a most precious relic.'' 

9 



93 HISTORY OP 

being reduced to extreme poverty by the frequent 
French incursions into the Palatinate in Germany, lately 
have fled for refuge to this our Kingdom of Great 
Britain, and further have gone to live in our province of 
New York, in America, and therefore they shall and 
will be esteemed as natural born subjects and reputed as 
such by our heirs and successors of this our Kingdom of 
Great Britain, and their heirs respectively shall and will 
be esteemed as such by our heirs and successors, and 
their heirs shall and will be dealt with, reputed and 
governed as such, as the rest of our faithful. subjects of 
this our Kingdom of Great Britain, and they shall be so 
esteemed in every place and jurisdiction under this our 
crown of Great Britain, and shall be lawfuU for them or 
their heirs respectively in all actions of what kindsover 
they may be to pursue for and enter complaint in and 
about the same in whatsoever place or jurisdiction they 
may be in or under in this our Kingdom of Great Britain, 
and elsev/here, under our Government to have, exercise, 
use and enjoy the full privilege of making ansv/er and 

The descendants of Isaac Le Fevre are numerous and res- 
pectable in this county ; and many of them are settled in va- 
rious parts of Pennsylvania, and other states. Isaac had four 
sons and tv/o daughters — Abraham, Philip, Daniel, Samuel, 
Mary and Esther. Philip, the second son, was a gunsmith, 
settled on a farm now owned by George Meek, and by Henry 
Le Fever, both lineal descendants. Philip, had four sons and 
four daughters; Isaac, George, Adam, Jacob, Catharine, 
Esther, Eve and Elisabeth. 

Catharine was born in March, 1734, and was married to 
Nicholas Meek; both resided for many years in this county. — 
They spent their last days with their son Jacob Meek, at Har- 
risburg, where both died at an advanced age. Nicholas Meek 
died April 16, 1603, aged 71 years, 4 months and 4 days ; Cath^ 
arine Meek died October 2nd, 1804, aged 70 years and 7 
monihy. Philip, their eldest son, aged 87, is yet living. 



LANCASTER COtTNTT. 99 

defence in all matter or matters whatsoever as any others 
of these our natural born subjects of Great Britain, and 
moreover it shall be lawfull for them or their heirs res- 
pectively to hold lands and the same to convey ; and to 
hold places of trust anywhere under this our Crown of 
Great Britain, and the land purchased the same to enjoy 
aaid hold and possess to themselves and their heirs, or in 
ajiy other manner to make clear titles or to alienate the 
same to any person or persons that they, at their own 
pleasure, may think proper and the same to be peaceably 
and honestly enjoyed as well as by any others of our 
faitliful subjects of this our Kingdom of Great Britain, 
born within the same, and it be lawfull for themselves or 
their heirs respectively, to hold and enjoy the mannor of 
lands and hereditaments whereby they may be to them- 
selves or those whom they may think proper to convey 
them respectively, or to any person or persons whatso* 
ever, him or them, the same to enjoy honestly and 
peaceably, as well as if they were originally born in thi* 
our Kingdom of Great Britain, and the same to hold, 
enjoy and possess from any grievance whatever from 
any grievance from our heirs or successors or ministry, or 
any other whatsoever, nevertheless, it is our will that the 
persons and those to whom respectively, in the first 
place, and to whom their heirs respectively, relative shall 
make or cause to be made obeisance to us oiu heirs or 
successors and shall contribute and pay as may seem just, 
^lem and their heirs respectively, shall pay to our heirs 
and successors, our custom and subsidy on their mer- 
ehandize as well as merchant strangers ought or should 
pay, and they or their heirs respectively, shall pay due 
regard to every ordination act, statute and proclamation 
of this our Kingdom of Great Britain, and shall be obe- 
dient as may appear just and formal, and shall render a 



100 HISTORY OP 

due regard to magistrates and to our ships of war and 
shall be in subordination to our corporations mercamtiJe 
of this our Kingdom of Great Britain, by any charters 
or letters patent of ours, any others of our predecessors 
heretofore granted, and at any time hereafter, or any 
person or persons that are or will be master of ship or 
matters of ships or may follow merchandize, that then 
this shall be void and of none effect : Provided, never- 
theless, That we reserve for the time being to ourselves,, 
our heirs and successors, our full power and authority^ 
from time to time of revoking and determining, by letters 
patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain, these 
Letters Dennizens to such person or pei*sons, concerning 
whom we, our heirs, or our successors, in order, in pri- 
vate counsel to our heirs or successors will declare as 
may appear right to us, to our heirs or successors, in 
making Dennizens to those person or persons as may 
appear hurtfuU or inconvenient to us our heirs or succes- 
sors, yet giving and granting to persons, and any others, 
reasonable and sufficient time of selling, alienating, as- 
signing or disposing of their manors, messuages, lands, 
so held hereditaments, and their merchandize, respec- 
tively, and likewise of removing their respective goods 
auid effects of whatsoever kind or qualify they may be 
before determination of these letters patent as appears. In 
witness whereof we caused these letters patent to be 
made and done : witness myself at Westminster, this 
21st day of August, 170S in the seventh year of our 
reign. Registered mider our Private Seal. COCKS. 

New York, Aug. 10th, 1709, Recorded in the Secre- 
tary's office of the province of New York, in the Book 
of General Records, Lib: No. L. Foho 141 & 142. 

Copied from the original, word for word, and concord- 
ing thereto as a sworn evidence. 

JOHN CONRAD CODWEIS, Interpreter. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 101 

New York, 27th day of August, in the year 1709, 
diligently compared and examined this true copy. 
JOHN CONRAD CODWEIS, (Deponent,) 

San tne tendering the oath. 
Before me, 

D : PROVOOK. 
Signed with the Great Seal of Great Britain. 
After spending some time in New York, they went, 
according to tradition, to Esopus Settlement, in Ulster 
County,* about seventy miles from Albany. Here they 

*That there was then a settlement in Ulster county, N. Y. 
of those who always made '•^profession de la pure religion re- 
formee,^' is a matter of history. The following extract of a 
letter, from our friend, Edmund Eltinge, to us, dated New 
Paltz, Feb. 25, 1843, will go to strengthen the tradition in the 
main facts. Speaking of the Huguenots when leaving France, 
says, " The greatest proportion went to Germany and a party 
of them settled at a place called Paltz on the River Rhine. — 
This was about the year 1650, A. D. Here they remained ten 
years, and in 1660 emigrated to New York, then under the 
Dutch Dynasty. What number came at this time, I cannot say 
— probably hundreds. The most opulent settled in New York 
city and on Long Island. The second class in point of wealth 
at New Rochelle, and those who were poor came to Kingston, 
(formerly Esopus R.) in this (Ulster) county, then called 
Wildwyke (Wild-retreat) and inhabited by the Dutch. 

The names of Huguenots who came to Kingston, twelve in 
number, were Louis Du Bois and his sons AlraJiam and Isaac, 
Ciiristian, Doaice or Deys, Abraham IIosbro2t,ch, Andries Lefevre, 
Jean Brook or John Hoshrouch, Lewis Berier, Antonie Crispell, 
Hugo Freer and Simon Lefevre. Eleven of these came in 
1660. Abraham Hasbrouch accompanied them as far as Eng- 
land, where he remained for a year or two, and while there 
joined the arm.y, and formed the acquaintance of Edmund An- 
dres, who was subsequently the Governor of this colony — when 
he came — he and those who accompanied him, went into Canada 
— where they located I cannot say — Mr. Hosbrouch was how- 



102 HISTORY OP 

remained about two years. Whence tliey proceeded to 
Pennsylvania, where (as is evident from docmnent&) 
Martin Kendig had taken up for Maria Warenbuer, 
widow of Daniel Ferree, two thousand acres of land, as 
appears from the minutes of the commissioners, Sept. 
10, 1712, quoted at large:--See pages 90, 91. "The 
said Martin Kendig now (Sept. 10, 1712) appearing 
desirous that the said (2000 acres) land may be granted 
and confirmed to Maria Warenbuer, /or ivhoin the same 
was taken up or intended, <5^c." 

This tract was then in Chester county, Conestoga 
township, now East Strasburg, in this comity. It 
composed the farms now owned by Henry A. Carpenter> 
Ferre Brinton, John C. Lefevre, Joseph L. Lefevre, Jacob 

ever informed that his brother Jean Brook was in this county, 
and he came hither. 

The Huguenots of Ulster spent a few years of unsettled life 
at Kingston and in the meantime explored the country. They 
finally concluded upon purchasing a tract now enclosed within 
the boundaries of this town, and comprising about two-thirds 
of its surface. The purchase was made from the Indians, sub- 
ject however to the claim of the Government. The Indians, 
though so universally charged with treachery, yet in this 
instance observed strict fidelity to their covenant, and the 
Huguenots were never molested by them on this soil. In 
order to get a perfect title it was necessary to obtain a cession 
from the Government of these lands, and Abraham Hoshrouch 
who was entrusted with the commission, being acquainted 
with Edmund Andros, obtained letters patent in 1677, Sept. 
29th. confirming to the twelve individvals above named their 
purchase without charge. This tract comprised about ninety 
square miles."' * * * "Some of the Huguenots' descen- 
dants, who reside in your county, (Lancaster), emigrated from 
this county, or rather their ancestors. The name of Lefevre 
and Du Bois, is from here. One by the name of Lefevre was 
in Congress some years since, whose ancestors resided in this 
town." 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 103 

Hershey, Christian Leman, Henry and Jacob Brackbill, 
Theo. Slierts, Isaac B. Burrowes/Jacob Eshleman, Chris- 
tiaii Hershey, Messrs. Witmers, R. Conyngham, Esq. R. 
Taggart, Philip Foster, Henry Shertz, John Shertz, F. S. 
Burrowes, D. Lefevre. 

While speaking of the family of Ferrees, it will not 
be out of place to direct the attention of the reader to 
tv/o other documents; one is an inventory of goods and 
diattels of a farm of the early times, being the list of 
appraisement of the personal property of Andrew 
Ferree, the same person who is mentioned as the eldest 
son of Daniel, the first settler. It shows the prices of 
articles at that time. The reader will find in it plenty of 
all the useful and necessary food, and implements, of a 
farmer ; but will seek in vain for the fine furniture of 
the present day.* The other document is the marriage 

* Inventory of the g.oods and chattels of.xdndrew Ferree^ 
deceased. 

To wheat in the stack at £8 — wheat and rye in the 

ground, £6, £14 

To great waggon, £12— little waggon, £5, • 17 

To a plow and two pairs of irons, 1 10 

To two mauls and three iron wedges, 9s — to four 

old weeding hoes, 4s, 13 

To a spade and shovel, 8s — to a matock and three, 

dung forks, lOs, * 18 

To two broad-axes, 12s— to joyner'saxe and adze, 

Ts, 19 

To Sundry carpenter tools, £1 — sundry joyner's 

tools, £2 5s, 3 5 

To seven duch sythes, 12 

To four stock bands, two pair hinges, sundry old 

iron, 14' 

To a hand-saw, £2— to five sickles and two old 

hooks, . 1 1 G 



104 HISTORY OF 

of Daniel Ferree, Jr., who was a son of the first settler; 
DUt born in this country, with Mary Carpenter or Zim- 
merman. It is somewhat in the form now used by the 
Society of Friends. Many of the present citizens of 
the vicinity will recognize the names of their ancestors, 
in the list of signers and guests at the wedding. 

To a cutting box, two knives, £1 — to twenty-two 

baggs, £2 10s, 3 10 

To two pair chains, 14s, two hackles, £1 lO-^-to 

five boles, 12s, 2 16 

To four smal chains and other horse geers at 14 

To other horse geers at £1 10 — to a mans' saddle 

at £1 10, 3 

To three falling axes at 10s — to two fowling pieces, . 

£2, 2 10 

To a large Byble, 2 

To two fether beds at £6 — to wearing cloaths, £7, . 13 
So sundry pewter, £2 8 — to a- box iron, 4s, 2 12 

To sundr}' iron ware, £2 — to a watering pot, 6s, 2 6 

To sundry wooden ware at £l — to two iron pot- ■ 

rac^s, £1, 2 

To four working hoi-ses, £24 — to a mare and two 

colts, £11, 35 

To six grown cows at £15 — to ten head of yong 

cattle, £13 10, 
To eleven sheep, £3 17 — to swine, £l 10, 
To two chests, 15s — to a spinning wheel, Ss, 
To sley, 6s — to cash received of Samuel Tayler, 
To cash received for a servant girles time, 

£152 8 6 

As apraised this 24th day of the month called November, 
1735. HATTIL VARMAN, 

SAM'L JONES. 

Note. — Thomas Makin, in his Descriptio Pennsylvaniae, 
Anno, 1729, describes most graphically the rural state of affairs 
at that time : 



28 10 





5 7 





1 3 





2 8 





3 






LANCASTER COUNTT. 105 

" Whereas, Daniel Feire, Junior, of the county cf 
Lancaster and province of Pennsylvania, yoeman, and 
Mary Carpenter, daughter of Henry Carpenter of the 
county and province aforesaid, spinster, having made due 
publication of their intention of marriage as the law 
directs : — These are therefore to certify all whom it may 
concern that on the first of May, Anno- Domini, 1739, 
before me Emanuel Carpenter, one of his Majesty's 
justices of the peace for the said county, they, the said 
Daniel Fiere and Mary Carpenter appeared in a public 
and solemn assembly for that purpose appointed and 
meet together at the dwelling house of the aforesaid 
Henry Carpenter, where he the said Daniel Fiere did 

Providus in morem formicae alimenta reponit 

E-usticus hiberni frigoris usque memor. 
Aestivo reputans quodumque labore lucratur, 

Quae mox insequitur, longa vorabit bymeDs. 

Stramine tecta replet Cerealibus horrea donis 
Impeger, et curat condere quicquid habet: 

Pespicit exoticas que dapes, vestesque superbas, 
Contentus modicis viverepace suis. 

Esuriens dulces epulas depromit Inemptas, 

Et proprio vestis vellere texta placet, 
Parva humilisque domus, latos quae prospicit agros, 

Parta vel empta, sibi sufficet atque suis. 

Utilis est iUl, si non opulenta supella ;. 

Res sapiens omnes utilitate probat. 
! mihi si liceat sylvas habitare beatus, 

Et modico victu, non sine pace, frui. 

TRANSLATION. 

The farmer, provident, amidst his cares, 
For winter, like the prudent ant, prepares ; 

Foreknowing, all that summer doth produce, 
Is only for consuming winter's use. 



106 HISTORY OF 

openly declare that he took the said Mary Carpenter to 
b» his wife, promising to be unto her a loving and faith- 
ful husband till death should separate them, and she, the 
said Mary Carpenter, then and there in the assembly, did 
in Uke manner openly declare that she took the said 
Daniel Fiere to be her husband, promising to be unto 
him a loving, faithful and obedient wife till death should 
separate them, and for a further confirmation thereof, 
both tlie said parties to these presents have hereunto in- 
terchangeably put their hands, she after the custom of 
marriage, assuming the surname of her husband ; and 
we whose names are heremito subscribed, being wit- 
nesses present at the solemnization thereof, the year and 
day first above written. 

Witness: DANIEL FIERE, 

Emanuel Carpenter, MARY FIEHE. 

Henry Hanes, Elizabeth liemp, Paulus, Peter Apfel. 

Henry Cai-penter, Salome Carpenter, Lawrerice Hayn, 

I^aniel Le Fevre, Henrich Zimmerman, WillianxBufiiiig- 

He fills hi$ barns and cellars with good cheer, 

Against that dreary season of the year. 
He scorns exotic foods ^ and gaudy dress, 

Content to live on homely fare, in peace. 

Siceet to the taste his unhought dainties are 

And his own home spun he delights to icear. 
His lowly dwelling viewsiiis large domain, 

Iniprov'd in part, where peace and plenty reign. 

Plain furniture, but useful, he doth chuse ; 

And wisely values ev'ry thing for use. 
In these blest shades may I delight to be ; 

Here little is enough, with peace, for mq. [motto was : . 

These were days of peace and plenty — the German's 

" Selhst-gesponnen, und selbst-gemacht ; 
Rein dabei, ist Bauern Tracht^' — which he practised. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 107 

ion, Daniel Zimmerman, Hans Hauser, Gabriel Zimmer- 
man, Jacob Carpenter, Theophilus Hartman, Christian 
Zimmerman, Hani Hartman, Isaac Fiere, Peter Fiere, 
Johann Conrad Kaempf, Isaac Le Fevre, Daniel Har~ 
man, Johannes Volkaemmer, George Philip Doilingery 
Christian Harman, Maria Herman, Abraham Fiere,. 
Susan Zimmerman, Hester Le Fevre, Jacob Fiere, 
Philip Le Fevre, Samuel Le Fevre, Salome Harman, 
Leah Fiere, Mary Hain, Jonas le Rou, Rachael Fiere, 
Isaac Fiere. 

This tract, spoken of before, had been taken up, or 
intended, for Maria Warenbuer. At a meeting of the 
commissioners, IGth, 7th mo. 1712, Martm Kendig, the 
widow, her son Daniel, and son-in-law Isaac Le Fevre, 
appeared before them, Kendig desired that Uie land mjght 
be granted and confirmed by patent to Maria, the widow : 
— " but upon further consideration of the matter, it loas 
agreed among themselves that the said land be confirmed 
to Daniel Fierre and Isaac Lefevre — and the considera- 
tion money, one hundred and forty pounds, at seven 
shillings per hundred acres, having been for some time 
due, but was to be paid down in one sum, it was agreed 
tliey should only pay ten pounds for interest, that is one 
hundred and fifty pounds.'^ 

The receipts for the purchase of this tract and quit^ 
rents for several years, signed by James Logan, and 
others, are yet in existence, carefully preserved."^ Much 
care manifests itself in the business of this family. 

In this methodical and regular manner was the emi- 
gration of our earlier German settlers conducted ; and in 

*We here present a copy of a reciept: "Philadelphia, 11, 
7, 1712, Received of Maria Warenbuer, twenty shillings sterl- 
ing, for one year's quit-rent of two thousand acres of land, 
laid out to her at Strasburg, in this Province. 

JAMES LOGAN, Receiver:^ 



108 HISTORY OP 

the present instance, it is a fine commentary on such 
honest proceedings to find the land thus obtained to be 
still in the hands of the lineal descendants of such 
•woTthy ancestors. Henry A. Carpenter, from whom 
we have obtained the foregoing documents, is now the 
owner of the old Ferree Homestead* containing two 
hundred and forty acres, and nearly all the owners of 
tlie other farms makingup the tract of two thousand acres, 
first purchased by Daniel Ferree and Isaac Le Fevre, 
are either relatives, or closely connected with the Ferrees. 
H. A. Carpenter is the -fifth in descent from Daniel Feriee. 
His father was Abraham Carpenter. 

Before closing this chapter, we shall introduce a tra- 
ditionary account of the Ferree family, furnished us by 
Joel Lightner, Esq., of Leacock township. It was written, 
in answer to several inquiries put to Mr. Lightner, in 
1 822, by the Hoii. Abraham Shreiver, Esq., of Frederick 
county, Maryland. We have added a few notes. — 
Shreiver's mother was a Ferree. 

"An account of the ancestors of the Ferric family, as 
given by John Ferrie, aged 84 years, (in 1822) Joseph 
Le Fevert and Leah Lightner,J aged about 63, (in 1822), 
and from some of the original title papers to the lands 
purchased from the Hon. William Penn, proprietor of 
the province of Pennsylvania. 

*Mary Ferree, whose maiden name was Warenbuer, died at 
an advanced age, in Conestoga township, 1716. On her death, 
P^ter Evans, Register General for the probate of Wills, and 
granting Letters of Administration, in and for the province of 
Pennsylvania, &c. granted Letters of Administration to Mary's 
sons, Daniel, Philip and John, the 20th of September, 1716. 

t Joel LightheT's wife 's father. 
|Tbe mother of Joel Lightner. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 109 

In the reign of Louis XIV. King of France, the pri- 
vileges of the Protestants were openly violated, mission- 
aries were sent for their conversion, supported by 
dragoons, and severities were exercised which excited 
the horror and indignation of all the reformed states of 
Europe. In 1685, the revocation of the edict of Nantes, 
first granted by Henry IV. and confirmed by Louis 
XIII. deprived the Protestants of all exercise of their 
religion, and tore them from their children to be educated 
Catholics. The tyrant, at the same time, issued his 
decrees against emigrations, and placed guards on his 
coasts; nevertheless, vast numbers escaped from his 
machinations and carried their arts and industry to 
foreign and hostile nations. 

Louis became ambitious of the fame that would 
attach to the extirpation of heresy from his kingdom. 
Calvinism in France, since the victory over it by Riche- 
lieu had become a peaceful separation from the national 
church, and its sectaries were useful citizens, chiefly 
attached to manufactures and commerce. Influenced by 
a spirit of intolerance and bigotry, he undertook to put an 
end to it. About this time the husband of Mary Ferrie 
or Verre resided in the town of Lindau, not far from the 
river Rhine, in the kingdom of France ; his family con- 
sisted of himself, his wife, three sons and three daugh- 
ters ; the names of the sons were Daniel, Philip and John, 
the daughters' names were Catharine, JNIary and Jane. 
Mr. Ferrie, the father, was a silk-weaver by trade, his 
religion Calvinistic; consequently he became one of the 
sufferers under those decrees. The troops had entered 
their town and commenced murdering the Protestants, 
taking and destroying their property, they had no other 
shift but to take flight, leaving behind them all their 
property except some trifling articles, and some cash ; 

10 



110 HISTORY OP 

they made flight into Germany, not far from Strasburg, 
where they resided two years. On their leaving France, 
they were accompanied by a young man by the name of 
Isaac Le Fevre, who stated that his family were nearly 
all put to death by the soldiers, that he himself escaped 
with difficulty, unhurt : he continued as one of the family 
until they arrived in America and married one of their 
daughters, Catharine Ferrie, and from whom, as far as 
we can learn, all the names of the Le Fevres, in this 
county, spring. 

During their residence in Germany, the father died, and 
Mary Ferrie, the widow, (it is singular that after she 
came to America, she was not pleased to be called by 
any other name than that of JNIary Warrinbuer, that 
being her maiden name) — hearing of a fine province, 
called Pennsylvania, in North America, that the pro- 
prietor, William Penn, resided in London, determined to 
set out for that place, that if she could find sufficient 
encouragement from Penn, she would try to get to 
America ; she accordingly set out for London with her 
family, and when she arrived there, she employed a 
person to direct her to William Penii's residence. When 
on their way, her conductor pointed out to her Penn's 
carriage, which was just meeting them: she being of a 
persevering disposition, called Penn, who immediately 
stopped his carriage, and he being well acquainted with 
the French language,* Avhich was quite gratifying to her, 
as she could neither speak nor understand the English. — 
Penn having learned the nature and object of her call, 

*Penr, while in France, in 1662 and 1663, studied Theology 
and French^ under the instruction of Moses Amyraut, a Calvi- 
nistic or French Protestant divine, a native of Bourgeuil ; a 
man of unbounded charity and compassion. He inculcated 
these principles into all his students, and exemplified them in 



LANCASTER COUNTY. Ill 

invited her into his carriage, as he was then on his way 
home, when he would be more particularly attentive to 
what she had to say. Penn told her, he had an agent in 
Pennsylvania, that to him, he would give her a recommen- 
dation, so that her business, he hoped, might be done to 
her satisfaction. 

Penn treated her very kindly whilst at his house. — 
They remained in London about six months, when a 
vessel Avas about to sail for the North river, in which 
they took passage. On their arrival at New York, they 
moved up the North river to a place called Esopus,* 
where they remained about tioo years, then moved to 
Philadelphia ; thence into Pequea settlement. Previous 
to which they had taken up a large tract of land. Be- 
fore they sailed from London for America, a variety of 
implements of husbandry was presented to them by 
Queen Anne, which they found of great use when they 
commenced clearing land. 

Philip, one of the sons, was now about twenty-one 
years of age, and had a desire to earn something for 
himself; and having formed an acquaintance with 
several families at Esopus, he made for that place, where 
he hired for one year with a respectable farmer, by the 
name of Abraham Dubois, whose daughter Leah he 

his actions ; during the last ten years of his life, he bestowed 
his whole salary, which was considerable, upon the poor, 
without distinction of Catholic or Protestant. Amyraut was a 
man of moderation and candor, and had the rare fortune to bo 
esteemed by men of all sects. His Theological works arc 
numerous. He died in 1664. 

*Esopus was an early settlement, between eighty and ninety 
miles north of the city of New York. It was also formerly 
called Wildwycke, now Kingston. The village of that place 
was burned by the British under Vaughan, in October, 1T77, 
when great quantities of stores were destroyed. 



112 HISTORY OP 

married at the expiration of the year, and brought her 
to his people in Pequea settlement, where he com- 
menced improving a tract of land on the north side of 
Pequea creek, (on part of which Joel Lightner, Esq., 
resides at present) which land had been previously 
allotted to him by his mother.^ 

Some of their first labor was to cut grass in the 
woods for the purpose of making hay,t no land being 
cleared on that part — for a shelter, house and barn, they 
placed timbers, forked at the top, into the ground, laid 
poles across them, built their hay upon the frame, which 
served as a roof to their house, under which they lived 
several months ; during their ''substack stay,^^ in this 
rude shelter, their son Abraham, was born. 

They lived to raise eight children, five sons and three 
daughters ; the names of the sons were Abraham, Isaac, 
Jacob, Philip and Joel; the daughters' names were Lena, 
who intermarried with William Buffington; Leah was 
married to Peter Baker, and Elisabeth to Isaac Ferrie. — 
Abraham, first born, was married about the year 1735 or 
36, to a woman by the name of Eltinge, from Esopus, her 
parents were Low Dutch. Abraham lived on part of 
the land owned by his grand-mother, Mary Ferrie. 
They had several children.:}: He died at an advanced 

*From a communication to us, dated Dec. 21, 1842, by Isaac 
F. Lightner, it appears, Abraham Dubois patented one thou- 
sand acres of land, in Lancaster county, which he gave to his 
daughter Mary, who had married Philip Ferree. The patent 
was granted May 7, 1717. 

f The great flats of Pequea were natural meadows on which 
grass grew luxuriantly, which proved a great source of com- 
fort to new settlers. — Conyngliam. 

|Thcir children were, Cornelius, Israel and Rebecca, Cor- 
nelius settled in Virginia; Israel married a Miss Dickey; 
Hebecca was married to David Shreiver, father of the Hon. 
Abraham Shreiver, of Frederick county, Md. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 113 

age, and was buried in a place now called Carpenter's 
grave-yard, about one mile from where he was born — 
the burial ground was pointed out by his grand-mother, 
Mary Ferrie, where she and several of her family were 
buried.* After Abraham's death, his widow married 
one Curgus or Circus — they moved up the Susque- 
hanna, and I cannot tell what became of them after- 
wards.''! 

This year, 1712 or 13, the Five Nations received into 
their confederacy, the Tuscororas. 

We would ask the indulgent reader to follow us in an 
apparent digression from the main narrative, while a 
few relevant facts are adduced to show how the Tusca- 
rora nation came to miite with the Five Nations. 

In 1712, the Tuscaroras, the Corees, with whom 
Baron de Graffenried, Governor of the Palatines, in 
North Carolina, mentioned in a preceding part of our 
narrative, made a treaty in the town of Cor J and other 
Indian tribes, in North Carolina, formed a conspiracy to 
exterminate the English. To be secm-e themselves, the 
chief town in the Tuscarora nation, was enclosed by 
kind of stockades; within this enclosure, 1,200 bowmen, 
of different tribes, met. Under the mask of friendship, 

*"Mary Ferrie vested in Trustees a piece of land near Para- 
dise, as a burial place for the use of the settlement. It is 
neatly walled and kept in good condition by the neighbors, 
whose ancestors repose within its limits." — Redmond Conyng- 
ham. 

flhavefoundacopy of a will of Abraham Dubois, dated Oct. 
1st, 1731, among his grand-father, Joel Ferrie's papers, which 
had been some time in possession of his son Isaac Ferree, 
from which it appears that a person by the name of Roeloff 
Ellsting, as spelt in that instrument, is recognized as a son-in- 
law, married to his daughter Leah. 

IWilliams' N. C. I. 2S7. 

10* 



114 HISTORY OF 

small parties went in various directions into the settle- 
ments, and after night, committed the most atrocious 
murders. Near Roanoke, they killed a great number of 
the Palatines, who had come to America with Graffen- 
ried, and many others. This distressing intelligence 
coming to the ears of Governor Craven, who immedi- 
ately despatched Col. Barnwell, with 600 militia and 
366 Indians, to the relief of the settlers. As soon as Barn- 
well and his men arrived, he attacked the Indians, killed 
300, and took about 100 prisoners. After this rough 
encounter, the Tuscaroras retreated to their fortified 
town ; Barnwell pursued and surrounded them, killed a 
considerable number, and obliged the living to sue 
for peace. About one thousand of them were killed, 
v/ounded and taken. 

Most of the Tuscayoras, after this defeat, abandoned 
their country and repaired to the Five Nations, who 
received them in their confederacy, and made them the 
Sixth Nation.* 

Gov. Spotsv/ood, in a letter dated Williamsburg, 
January 25, 1719-20, speaking of the Indians on the 
Susquehanna: Your Indians were actually in these 
parts (Virginia) assisting the Tuscaroras, who had mas- 
sacred in cold blood some hundreds of the English, and 
were then (1712 and 1713) warring against us, and they 
have at this very day (1719) the chief murderers, with 
the greatest part of that nation, seated under their pro- 
tection, near Susquehannah river, whither tliey removed 

*Jcfforson's Va. 138. 

Note— "1717, the Rev. Mr. Wayman, missionary to the Welsh 
settlements of Radnor and Oxford, frequently visited Pequeia, 
Conestoga, and the Indian settlements of Conestogue. He 
baptized many children of Quakers, and some who had been 
Quakers."— R. C. Lan. Intel!. & Jow\ 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 115 

them, when they found they could no longer support 
them against the force which the English brought upon 
them in these parts.* 



CHAPTER III. 



Augmentation of settlements — Germans and English settle around the 
Swiss or Palatines — Settlements in ditferent parts of the count)' — Names 
of persons naturalized — Notice of Slaymakers — Conestoga Manor sur- 
veyed — Names of first purchasers — Graff Thai settled — Lancaster and 
vicinity settled — Squatters on the west side of Susquehanna — Indians at 
Conestoga address a letter to Logan — Colonel French goes to Conestoga; 
holds a treaty with the Indians — Logan meets the Indians on the Susque- 
hanna — Samuel Robins sent to Virginia. 

Settlements had now been fairly made amidst the 
Indians ; the hardships that presented themselves in the 
incipient stage of settling, began to vanish, and almost 
every discouraging obstacle was surmounted. "Their 
success, the glowing, yet by no means exaggerated 
accounts given by them, of the scenery of the country, 
the fertility of the soil they cultivated, the abundance of 
game with which the forest teemed, the quantity and 
delicacy of the fish which the rivers yielded; but above 
all, the kind and amicable relationship they cultivated 
and maintained with tlieir Indian neighbors, all conspired 
to make them the objects of attention, and afterwards 
one of the prominent points whither emigration tended 
in an increasing and continued stream.^t The perse- 
cuted of every land, and of different tongues, settled 
around them, in various directions of the county. 

In 1713, Christopher Schlegel, late of Saxony, took 
up with a view to settle, though he afterwards trans - 

*Col. Rec. III. 77. fGeo. Ford's, MSS. 



116 HISTORY OP 

ferred his interest in his tract of one thousand acres, to 
others; — this land is on a stream flowing into the Cones- 
toga, "not far from land granted to the Palatines." It 
was afterwards the place where the Carthges, Indian 
agents, resided. Another person, Benedictus Venerick, 
late of Germany, took up two hundred acres, near the 
Palatines, in 1715.* Between the Pequea and Cones- 
toga creeks, near the Susquehanna, Richard Carter, an 
Englishman, a wheel-right, located and improved two 
hundred acres, in 1716. The same year, Alexander 
Bews, took up four hundred acres on the south side of 
the Conestoga; Anthony Pretter, of East Jersey, three 
hundred acres, near Pequea, or south side of Conestoga ; 
and Jolm Gardiner, Jr., from Philadelphia county, two 
hundred acres, on the same side of Conestoga. About 
this time, Jacob Greider, or Kreider,t Jacob Hostater, 

*Iii and about Smoketown, in 1715, Peter Bellas, Daniel 
Harman, William Evans, James Smith, settled. 

f The relentless spirit of persecution, as the number of its 
subjects of oppression decreased, singled out individual fami- 
lies ; of these oppressed^ were the Kreiders and Hostaters — 
these fled for life from Switzerland to Wurtemburg ; taking 
nothing with them from- their Fatherland, except their families, 
and small quantities of tow cloth, a few linens, and some 
wearing apparel, Kreider remained but a short time — but 
emigrated to America, and in company with Hostater, after 
paying the brethren of their faith, a visit, at Pequea, settled on 
the north side of the Conestoga, about two miles south from 
the present site of Lancaster, where he took up -eight hundred 
acres of land in 1716 or 1717, "among the new surveys at 
Conestoga." 

Here, he erected a temporary shelter, a tent covered with 
tow tsloth brought from Switzerland, which served him and his 
family till autumn, when the tent gave way to a cabin buil^ 
of round, unhewn hickory saplings, and covered with bark — 
both were abundant. 

When the weather becanae cold, his tawny neighbors, the 



LANCASTER COUNTT. 117 

Hans Frantz, Schenk, and others, settled on the banks of 
Conestoga; Joseph Cloud, in 1717, took up 500 acres 
near Pequea creek. The same year, settlements were 
began on the banks of Octoraro, William Grimson^ 
constable of Sadsbury township, in 1717, was among 
the first settlers on the Octoraro; his neighbors were the 
Cooksons, Mayes, Jervis, Irwins, and some years after- 
wards, the Pattersons, Darbys, Mackrels, Leonards, 
Jones, Steels, Matthews, Cowens, Murrays, Millers, 
Allisons, Mitchels, and others, all of whom¥ettled oh or 
near Octoraro. 

The Swiss settlement received an augmentation in 
1715-16 and 17; besides those already named, were 
Hans Mayer, Hans Kaigy, Christian Hearsey, Hans 

Indians, paid him regular night visits to shelter with him, and 
sleep by the side of a genial fire. They were on perfect terms 
of intimacy and friendship ; the Indians frequently supplied 
him and family with fish and venison, which they gave in ex- 
change for bread. Fish were very abundant in the Conestoga 
and all the streams of the country ; these they took with nets 
made of bark, or speared them with a gig made of Ashwood.— 
The inventive genius of the Indian is known to all who have 
spent some time among them, or are conversant with their 
mscJianism. Perhaps the reader may wish to know how to 
make a fish-gig, if he should ever be placed in the Indians* 
situation, we will tell, as we were told, how the Hickory 
Indians, on Conestoga, made theirs. Christian Kreider, grand- 
son of the first settler, says, " The Indians took a very slender 
sapling of Ashwood,-^this kind of wood was preferred on 
account of its hardness: and burned it to a point atone end;" 
this, says the reader,. is simple. So it is, just as easy to be 
done as setting up an egg on the point end, or the discovery of 
America, after it is known. The reader, especially our young 
friends, would, we think, be pleased to know how the fish 
were secured with a barbless, pointed stick. The Indian is 
never at a loss to take a fish, if he has no net, he takes either 
his bow and arrow or his spear^ such an one one as has just 



118 HISTORY OF 

Graaf, (who afterwards settled GraaPs Thai) Hans Pu- 
pather, Michael Shank, Henry Pare, Peter Leman, 
Melchior Breneman, Benedictus Witmer, Henry Funk, 
Jacob Landis, Ulrich Houry, Hans Faber, Isaac Coff- 
man, Melchior Erisman, Michael Miller, Jacob Kreutzer, 
Jacob Boehm, Theodorus Eby, Michael Danegar, and 
others. 

Down the Conestoga, towards Susquehanna, settle-^ 
ments were made between 1716 and 1719 — among those 
who took up lands and settled thereon, were David 
Jones, Edmund Cartlidge and John Cartlidge. Edmund 
Cartlidge resided in Darby township, Chester county, as 
early as 1698, and in 1711, in Philadelphia county ,"^= 

been described, and his tiny, barky boat; he glides to a place 
where, as every skilled piscator knows, fish are ; here, through 
the calm and transparent water he strikes the spear through 
the body of the fish, passes one hand below, and takes a huge 
salmon or some other fish. 

On a certain occasion, as Kreider had the honor of the com- 
pany of his Indian neighbors, and having that day consulted 
his almanack to regulate his clock, by its indication of rising 
and setting of the sun, noticed the moon would, in afew weeks, 
be eclipsed ; he informed the guests that on a certain evening, 
a few weeks from that time, the moon would hide her face* 

just as the clock would strike ; to hear, that the moon 

would refuse to shine, was nothing new to them, they had seen 
eclipses before ; but that their white neighbor should possess 
so much prescience as to know this before hand, was strange to 
them. At the time specified when the hroad-faced mcon was to 
hide her disc, fifty or sixty Indians assembled ; they were all 
attention ; scarce had the clock struck, to their utter astonish- 
ment, the moon's face began to lessen. Profound silence pre- 
vailed. Their spokesman expressed the cogitations of the 
wonder-stricken visitors, uttered it as their sage conclusion, in 
these words : 'Tis the white man's God tells him this, else ho 
would not know it before hand." 

♦Public Rec. West Chester, Vol. A. p. 291. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 119 

John, his brother, for many years an Indian agent, was 
at one time held in high estimation by the proprietary's 
agents ; but Uke many others, the day of trouble came upon 
him '^ and he was not remembered.'^^* A warrant ' for land ' 
was issued, dated "October 1st, 1718, for him to take up 
on the north side of Conestoga creek at some convenient 
place, three hundred acres, and to make an addition 
thereunto of two hundred acres, to be by him enclosed 
and held for the conveniency of pasturage for the term 
of fourteen years, in consideration of his services among 
the new settlers." 

It was at the house of this gentleman a number of 
councils were held with the Indians. We have been in 
the house, built in 1719, in which the councils were 
held. It is now owned by Benjamin Wright, of Manor 
township. 

It appears from the Public Records at West Chester, 
that John Cartlidge sold liquor by the small, prior to 
1718, among the neighbors on the banks of the Cones- 
toga. It was so reported by his vigilant " fellow inhabi- 
tant," to the court. Christian and Joseph Stoneman, 
Sigismund Landart, all late of Germany, took up lands 
on the Conestoga, prior to 1719, and Francis Neiff on 
the west branch of Little Conestoga, prior to 1715. 

The following persons located lands in 1719: Jenkin 
Davis, late of Wales, near or on the branch of Cones- 
toga creek, George Steward, near the Susquehanna, 
James Le Tort, on or near Susquehanna, where he had 
his station as Indian trader, and received a warrant for one 
hundred acres. Le Tort, Bizaillon and Chartier, had 
resided some years previous to the commencement of 
Swiss settlements among the Indians; Chartier was 

*John Cartlidge was one of His Majesty's Justice of Peace, 
appointed in 1718, July 4th.— CoZ. Rec, III. 40. 



120 HISTORY OF 

among them before 1704,* and in 1717, upon his request, 
he received a warrant for three hundred acres, where he 
"had seated himself on the Susquehanna river, above 
Conestoga creek, inchiding within the survey the im- 
provement then made by him, for which he agreed, on 
behalf of his son Peter Chartier, in whose name he 
desired the survey to be made, to pay for the same. 

In 1714, Peter Bizaillon, who had license to trade, 
prior to 1703,t received a warrant from the commis- 
sioners of property: "We d6 hereby authorize and allow, 
Peter Bezaillon, Indian trader, to seat himself at Pash- 
tang, or any other Indian town or place on Susqua- 
hannah, in this province, and to erect such buildings as 
are necessary for his trade, and to enclose and improve 
such quantities of land as he shall think ^X, for the 
accommodation of his family there, until further order 
shall be given by the proprietor or his commissioners : 
Provided , always, That the said Peter shall not act or 
proceed in any thing under color hereof, but by the free 
leave and approbation of the Indians amongst whom he 
dwells or resides.'^ 

In various' parts of the county surveys were made, 
from 1714, to 1718. A. Dubrie, Esq.-, of Drumore 
township, kindly furnished us accounts of surveys made 
in Little Britain and other southern townships. 

A survey was made in Little Britain for Alexander 
Ross — warrant dated Nov. 5, 1714 — land situated near 
the middle of the township, on Little Conowingo creek, 
now held by Christian King, and others. Another 
survey in part of seven hundred acres was mad« for 
Edward Sleadwell, granted to him by warrant dated 
May 5, 1717, situated in the south west corner of the 
county, nearly surrounded by Octoraro creek, and con- 

*Col. Rec. II. 133 f Col. Rec. II. 100. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 121 

tained two hundred acres, and after his decease was 
divided between his son and son-in-law, Jolin Priest; 
and has since passed by the name of ^'-Pritsfs NeckP 
There were other surveys made between 1715 and 
1720 in the south west part of the township. 

" Teague^s EndcavorP — A Maryland patent wa^s 
granted to Mary Graham, June 6, 1715, for one hundred 
acres, now held by Robert Maxwell 

'^CornwalV — A Maryland patent, granted to 
Emanuel Grubb, for one hundred acres, in 1716, and 
and another, 1720, for two hundred acres; now held by 
Jeremiah B. Haines, Levi Brown and others. Tlvre£. 
Partners. — Another Maryland patent, granted to Thomas 
Jacobs, September 16, 1720, a large tract now held by 
James Porter and others.* From the foregoing, it is 
evident, that the Swiss Settlement, with their fine 
country, attracted considerable attention, wliile it was 
yet in its infancy. 

Not to weary the reader with general details of 
individual settlers, we shall present a public document 
possessing more than ordinary interest to the numerous 
descendants of those whose names are recorded in it — 
They had all come to this country previous to 1718, and 
liad purchased and held lands before 1729. We are 
indebted to Abraham Meylin, of West Lampeter town- 
ship, for a copy of it. This document has been upwards 
of one hundred and fourteen years in the possession of 
the Meylin family. It is an act passed Jlnrw Regnl, 
Georgii IL Regis Magnae Britanniae, Franciae, et 
Hibemiae, tertio.\ October 14, 1729. 

^If the reader will examine the article in tlie Appendix A^ 
h£ will understand these patents fully. 

fin the third year of the reign of George, II. King of Great 
Britain, France and Ireland. 

11 



122 HIStORY OF 

Whereas^ By encouragement given by the Honorabk 
William Penn, Esq., late Proprietary "^ and Governor of 
the province of Pennsylvania, and by pemiissian of his 
Majesty, King George the First, of blessed memory, 
and his predecessors. Kings and Queens of England, &;c. 
divers Protestants, who were subjects to the Emperor of 
Germany, a Prince in amity with the Crown of Great 
Bi'itain, transported themselves and estates into the 
province of Pennsylvania, between the years one thou- 
sand seven hundred, and one thousand seven hundred 
and eighteen; and since they came hither have con- 
tributed very much to the enlargement of the British 

=*William Penn, the Proprietary and Founder of Pennsyl- 
vania, died July 30, 1718, at Rushcomb, near Twyford, in 
Euckinghan:shire, England, aged about seventy-four years. — 
In 1012, he had been seized witn some fits of the aDoplectic 
kind ; which, for the last six years of his life, had so affected 
his mental faculties, especially his mem.ory, as to render him 
in a great measure incapable of public business ; which, with 
the gradual decline of his strength of body, continued to 
increase till the last period of his days. As a leader of a 
christian sect, he has left no mean name. He was a man of 
more than ordinary zeal and courage; he was ardent and 
enthusiastic, yet discreet. As a statesman, he was wise and 
judicious. As an economist, liberal, even to his own pecu- 
niary embarrassment. As a writer, much esteemed by his 
friends. In his demeanor, it is said, he was grave, yet free 
from moroseness. Christians are not morose. He had been 
twice married; his first wife was Gulielma Maria Springett, 
daughter of Sir William Springett, of Darling, in Sussex; 
with her he had two sons and one daughter, Springett, William 
and Letitia. Springett died at the age of tvrenty-one years, 
in 1696. William and Letitia, and three grand children^ 
children of his son William, survived him. His second wife 
was Hannah, daughter of Thomas Callowhiil, of Bristol, by 
VN^hom he had five children, John, Thomas, Margaretta, 
Kichard and Dennis, who, with their mother, were living at 
their father's death. 



LANCASTER COUXTr. 123 

Empire, and to the raising and improving smidry com- 
modities fit for the markets of Europe, and and have 
always behaved themselves Teligiously and peaceably, 
and have paid a due regard and obedience to the laws 
and Government of this province ; jind whereas, Many 
of said persofis, to wit, Martin Meylin, Hans Graaf, and 
otliers, all of Lancaster county, in the said province, in 
demonstration of their affection and zeal for his present 
Majesty's person and Government, quahfied themselves 
by taking the qualification, and subscribing the declara- 
tion directed to be taken and subscribed by the several 
acts of parliament, made for the security of his Majesty's 
person and Government, and for preventing the dangers 
which may happen by Popish Recusants, &c., and 
thereupon, have humbly signified to the Governor and 
Representatives of the freemen of this province, in 
General Assembly, that they have purchased and do 
hold lands of the proprietary, and others, his Majesty's 
subjects within this province, and have likewise repre- 
sented tiieir great desire of being made partakers of 
those privileges Avhich the natural born subjects of Great 
Britain do enjoy within this province ; and it being just 
and reasonable, that those persons who have bona fide 
purchased lands, and who have given such testimony of 
their affection and obedience to the Crown of Great 
Britain should as well be secured in the enjoyment of 
their estates, as encouraged in their laudable affection 
and zerJ for the English constitution; 

Be it enacted by the Hon, Patrick Gordon, Esq., 
Lieut. Governor of the province of Pennsylvania, &c., 
by and with the advice and consent o^ the freemen of 
the said province, in General Assembly met, and by the 
authority of the same, That Martin Meylin, Hans 



124 HISTORY OF 

Graaf, Christian Stoneman, Jacob Funk, Francis Neiff,* 
Francis Neiff, Jr., George Kindeck, John Burkholder, 
John Burkholder, Jr., Abraham Burldiolder, Michael 
Bowman, John Hess, John Frederick, Christopher 
Preniman, Martin Harnist, Joseph Buckwalter, FeUx 
Landes, Jr., Adam Freniman, John Funk, John Boh^ 

*Francis Neff, his sons Francis, Jr.,. Henry and Daniel, and 
the sons of Daniel, namely : Henry and Daniel, grandsons oi 
Francis the elder, were all natives of Switzerland. On 
account of religious persecution, being Mennonites, they fled 
from their Vaterland, to Alsace, thence tliey emigrated to 
America, and settled at a very early date on a small stream, 
Neff's run, which empties into the west branch of the Little 
Conestoga, where the great ancestor took up a large tract of 
land, and which is stiil owned by some of the lineal descen- 
dants, of the male and female issue. 

As it may be interesting to the numerous descendants of one 
of the first families, in this part of the county, we insert a 
brief genealogy of Francis Neff's progeny, as furnished us, 
i>erbaUy, by BIrs. Magdalen SeJiner, aged 79, the great grand- 
daughter of Francis, the elder, and grand-daughter of Daniel 
Neff, who had four sons and two daughters, viz: Henry, 
Daniel, John, Jacob, the grand-father of Jacob K. Neff, M. D., 
of Lancaster; Barbara, who intermarried with Musseiman, 
cuid Ann, married to Isaac Kauffman. Heniy, tlie oldest son 
Cff Daniel Neff, married a j\Iiss Oberholtzer; their children 
were John, Daniel, David, Jacob, Henry and one daughter, 
Mrs. Keller, Dr. John Eberle's grand mother. 

The original Homestead is now principally owned by Gott- 
lieb Sehner and Jacob Neff. We seek for tlie descendants of 
Francis Neff, in tlie male lineage, the numerous Neffs ip Lan- 
caster and Huntingdon county. Pa., and in Virginia; in the 
female, the name of Musseiman, Kauffman, Miller, Mayer, 
Henneberger, Schwar, Sehner, Ruth, Cassel, Florey, Keller^ 
Eherle — the twx) last named are noticed in the sequel— Bear, 
Brandt, Shelly, Bowman and others, principally in this 
county. 



LANCASTER COWNTY. 125 

man, John Taylor, Henry Neiff, Michael Mire, Henry 
Bare, Peter Bumgarner, Melcor Hufford, Melcor Eris- 
man, John Brubaker, Jacob Nisley, Hans Snevely, 
Jacob Goot, John Woolslegle, Jacob Mire, Christopher 
Sowers, Joseph Stoneman, Daniel Ashleman, Christian 
Peelman, John Henry Neiff, "^ John Henry Neiff, Jr., 
Abraliam Hare, John Ferie, Jacob Biere, Peter Yordea, 
Peter Leamon, Hans Jacob Snevely, Isaac Coffman, 
Andrew Coffman, Woolrich Rodte, Henry Funk, Roody 
Mire, John Mylin, Jacob Bheme, John Coffman, 
Michael Doneder, Charles Christopher, Andrew Shultz, 
John Houscr, Christian Preniman, Jacob Miller, black, 

*• John Henry Neff, known as the " Old Doctor,'' a brother of 
Francis Ncff, named above. He was undoubtedly the first 
regularly bred physician in Lancaster county. Who has not 
heard of Doctor Hans Heinrich Neff? So well was Dr. Neff 
known, that when the boundaries of townships were fixed 
upon, June 9th, 1729, one of the lines of Manheim township, 
is thus defined: "thence down the said creek to the ''Old 
Doctor's Ford." Hans Henry Neff, Doctor of Physic, had 
taken up land on the Conestoga, a few miles from the present 
site of Lancaster city. Among his descendants, are, besides 
the Neffs, Millers, Tchantzs, Kendigs, Weavers, Bears, and 
others. 

The Neffs were of those, " who, ma?i?/^ears since, came into 
this province under a particular agreement with the late Honor- 
able Proprietor, William Penn, at London ; and had regularly 
taken up lands under him. And who, it appears to me," said 
Gov. Gordon, January 13th, 1729, "by good information, that 
they have hitherto behaved themselves well, and have generally 
so good a character for honesty and industry, as deserves the esteem 
of this Government^ and a mark of regard for them.'' — Col. Rec. 
III. 290. 

U* 



126 HISTORY OF 

Henry Carpenter,* Emanuel Carpenter,! Gabriel Car- 
penter, Daniel Herman, Christian Herman, Philip Fiere, 
Mathias Slaremaker,J Big John Shank, Jacob Churts, 
Jacob Snevely, Jr„ John Woolrich Hover, John Croy- 
der, Jolin Leeghte, John Stampher, Martin Graaf, Peter 
Newcomat, Jacob Bare, Jr., John Henry Bare, Jacob 
Weaver, Henry Weaver, John Weaver, David Longan- 
icker, George Weaver, Abraham Mire, Woolrick Houser, 
Jolm Mire, Henry Musselman, Michael Shank, Jacob 
Miller, Jacob JVIiiler, Jr., Martin Miller, Peter Abye, 
Hans Goot, Christian Staner, John Jacob Light, Adam 
Brand, Christopher Franciscus, Casper Loughman, 
Frederick Stay, John Line, John Sv/ope, Bastian Royer, 
Jonas Lerow, Simeon King, John Abye, Everhard 
Ream, all of Lancaster county, be, and shall be to all 
intents and purposes deemed, taken, and esteemed, His 
Majesty's natural born subjects of this province of Penn- 
sylvania, as if they, and each of them had been born 
within the said province ; and shall and may, and every 
one of them shall and may, within this province, take, 
receive, enjoy, and be entitled to all rights, privileges 
and advantages of natural born subjects, as fully, to all 

*"Hcnry Zimmerman or Carpenter arrived in Pennsylvania 
in the year 1698, and returned afterwards to Europe for his 
family, whom he brought out in 1706, and settled first in Ger- 
rnantown, and removed within the present bounds of Lan- 
ca-ster county, (then Chester) in 1717." His descendants are 
very numerous and. jspectable. 

fEmanuel Zimmerman or Carpenter, son of Henry Car-^ 
pentcr, was born in Switzerland, in the year 1702 and 
died 1780. His influence was salutary and great in the 
county. He had the unbounded confidence of his fellow 
Citizei:-:, as will appear from the sequel. 

tThe name v^as criginaily in German ^^chleierraacher. 



LANCASTER COUNTT. 127 

intents and constructions and purposes, whatsoever, as 
any of his Majesty's natm-al born subjects of this 

The subjoined communications will be read with more than 
ordinary interest. The first is from H. F. Slaymaker, Esq^ 
and the other from John Slaymaker, Esq., both written in reply 
to several queries previously proposed touching the ancestors 
of this highly respectable family : 

" Mathias Slaymaker emigrated from Strasburg, in Germany 
He was born and bred in Hess Castle, and came to this coun- 
try about the year 1710. He settled on what is called tlie 
"London Lands;" a tract of 1,000 acres, near the presenl 
residence of Peter J. Eckert, in Strasburg township, which is 
supposed to have been named by him ; he was at that time 
sun-ounded by Indians ; their names are not known. 

He had two brothers ; one of whom was a clergyman, and 
settled in the Emperor's dominion, high up in Germany ; he 
was appointed Secretary of Legation from that Government 
to tlie Court of St. James; afterwards, Charge d' Affairs, and 
there married. President John Adams, when minister to the 
Conrt of St. James, resided with one of his descendants.— 
His oldest son was Governor of an Island. 

The other brother was major in the King of Prussia's full 
regiment; and afterwards, it is probable, his son was one of the 
officers (a Major) in the Hessian troops — as one of that name 
was confined as a prisoner of war in the Lancaster jail. 

The first named, Mathias, had five sons, Lawrence, Mathias^ 
John, Henry, Daniel and two daughters, Margaret and Bar- 
bara Eeckman. He was married before he came to this 
country — and Lawrence and Margaret were born in Germany. 
Lawrence married a sister of Jacob Pfautz, and had one child 
who married a person by the name of Lefevre, and moved to 
Cumberland county. 

Llatliias married a Miss Smith, and had two sons and three 
daughters, John, William, Rachel, Rebecca and Elisabeth. 

John married Elisabeth V/hite, and had Mathias, John, Wil- 
liam and Alexander, a.nd five daughters, Jane, Elisabeth, Mary, 
Kitty and Ann. 

Henry married Faithful Richardson, and had three sons, 
Amos, Henry and Samuel, and six daughters, Mary, Hannah, 



128 histout op 

province, can, do, or ought to enjoy, by virtue of their 
being His Majesty's natural born su])jects of His 
Majesty's said province of Pennsylvania. 

Faithful, Lydia, Sarah and Sophia. Daniel married Gilscy 
Young, and had Daniel, William and Matliias, and two daugh- 
ters. Margaret married Michael Fickle, and had a largo 
family. Barbara married Hironimeus Eckman. 

Honry, the father of Amos, assisted in clearing the ground on 
which part of the city of Lancaster is now founded. 

The ''London Land," alluded to, descended to the four sons, 
John, Henry, Mathias and Daniel, all of whom had children, 
and left tlieir estates to their respective descendants — a largo 
portion of which is still held in the name. 

Active measures were taken by the emissaries of the British, 
to prevail on the inhabitants to take protections from the 
Crown, and Henry Slay maker was called upon to take one, 
but refused, having taken paii; with the Republic, and was a 
magistrate at that time, and received the oath of allegiance 
from all who were friendly to the Republic. He was the oldest 
Justice, and after M. Hubloy became incapable of trying a 
cause, he was appointed principal Judge, and presided for a 
year. 

In the time of the Revolution there was a company of young 
men who entered into articles of agreement for the purpose of 
suppressing all who were then called tories — at the head of 
this, was Col. James Mercer, an active whig — Amos Slay- 
maker, (son of Henry) was one of this association, and his 
Father (Henry) also an active whig, had, at all times, informa- 
tion of what was going on so as to suppress any attempts at 
rising against the Republic, or stealing or carrying off 
property. It was very effective in suppressing the incursions 
of the tories, who were very annoying to the eastern section of 
Lancaster county, by stealing and carrying off horses and 
other property to the British army — ^but was attended with 
groat hazard to the members. They were ordered out by 
Henry Slaymaker, (father of Amos) when information was 
given of their presence in the neighborhood : and I have often 
heard my father (Amos) relate adventures he had in pursuit of 
them at night, which was their time for committing depreda* 



LANCASTER COUNTY, 1329 

The same year the Conestoga Manor was surveyed 
for the use of the proprietary, by order of the Cominis- 

tioiis, and he has often been out whole nights after thera — one 
in particular, when they were informed that the Doanes, who 
were celebrated tories, were encamped in a swamp near the 
Gap, about where the Pennsylvania Hailroad passes the Gap, 
and the associations went in pursuit of them through a tremcn* 
dousstonn of rain, sleet, thunder and lightning, but after grea-^ 
difficulty from underwood, briars, and in gaining their retreat, 
thoj found some of the disaficcted in the neighborhood, had in 
tlic mean time apprised them of their approach, and they had 
escaped. The members of this company were in constant 
danger of losing their lives, as many in the eastern part of the 
county were disaffected — and they were in danger of being 
shot even at their ordinary occupations. Amos served two 
terms in the Revolutionary war as an Ensign of a company, 
commanded by his uncle Capt. John S. (father of the present 
Captain) who was also an officer in Braddock's war. Amos 
was magistrate fur many years — a member of the Legislature 
and of the Pennsylvania Senate, and also a member of 
Congress," 

[Extract of a Lttter from John Slaymaher, Esq.] 
"My father John, was in Braddock's campaign, as a 
wagoner. lie was put to draw a cannon at the place of ren- 
dezvous, and took it into battle on the day of Braddock's 
defeat— he had eleven horses to it on that day, which were all 
shot before the retreat. I have often heard him say if it had 
not been for Washington's brave conduct in covering thjj 
retreat, there would hardly a man have escaped. In this conflict 
tiie most of the American troops were killed — my father cams 
off safe. In 1776, he marched at the head of a company to 
Bergen, in Jersey— was in the skirmish on Chesnut Hill, undt-? 
General Bull, where Bull was taken prisoner. After his return 
home, he was chosen County Commissioner, which ended his 
public services. He died in 1798, aged 65 years. 

The sale of the "London Land" was in the year 1761, in 
Philadelphia. Father paid j£800 for 346 acres of said tract. 

Note — London Lands, in Lancaster county.— It appears 
that a land company was organized at an early date. In 



130 HISTORY OP 

sloners of Property,"* to Jacob Taylor, Surveyor Gen- 
eral — lie had been Surveyor General for many years — 

1696, this company, called the London Company, owned 
65,000 acres of land in Pennsylvania, usually known by the 
name of London La?ids ; of this, there were 47,800, in Lancas- 
ter and Berks. Part of these lands were rented at the rate of 
£2 per 100 acres, with exception of some thousands of acres sold 
from 1718 — 1720, by the company to different persons. 
The rest remained in possession of the company until 1762. — 
At tliis time the heirs of those who originally constituted the 
company had been considerably scattered, and many entirely 
unknown. An Act of Parliament was therefore procured 
authorizing the sale of the land, and Dr. Fothergill, Daniel 
Zachary, Thomas How, Deboreaux Bowly, Luke Hinde, 
Richard How, Jacob Hagen, Sylvanus Grove and William 
Heron, were the agents appointed to superintend the business. 
Their attorneys in this country were Samuel Shoemaker, 
Jacob Cooper and Joshua Howell. In 1762, sales were ac- 
cordingly effected to the great satisfaction of the occupants of 
the land, who had generally made considerable improvements, 
cleared away the wood, and erected comfortable farm-houses, 
and out-buildings, many of them not being altogether aware of 
titles ; but supposing that they were possessed of a fee simple 
estate in soil — the prices however at which they were held, 
were not unreasonable ; each settler, it is believed, with few 
exceptions, purchased the tract upon which he was seated. — 
Tliere were a few squatters who were not willing to comply. 
The case of Horrabine is still remembered by some of the 
descendants of the first settlers on the London Lands. One 
Richard Brazier had squatted in the vicinity of the Slay- 
makers. Brazier died, left a widow and some money — Horra- 
bine made suit to, and married the widow. He forged a deed 
for a London tract — the misdating of three days exposed the 
forgery — and he was tried, convicted, cropped and sent to 
Honduras Bay to chop Logwood. His family was left penny- 
less. 

♦These are to authorize and require thee without any delay 
to survey or cause to be surveyed all that tract of land lying 
between Sasquahannah river and Conestogo creek, from the 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 131 

jfrom 1706 to 1733, when Benjamin Eastbum wa^ 
appointed. 

mouth of said creek as far up the river as the land already 
granted to Peter Chartier, and then by a line running from the 
said river to Conestogo creek, all which tract of land for the 
proper use and behoof of William Penn, Esq., proprietary 
and Governor in Chief the said Province, his heirs and assigns 
forever. Given under our hands, March 1, 1717-ia The 
3]anor was afterwards divided and sold to purchasers. 

CONESTOGA MANOR. 

Note. — This survey included rising of 16^000. It was after- 
wards sold in small tracts and patented. The following were 
the principal patentees : Israel Pemberton held 300 acres, date 
of his patent, October 1st, 1723. The Messrs. Wrights own 
1500 acres^^ate of patent, December 13, 1735 — sold after- 
wards in smaller parcels to John Herr, Andrew Stinemaa, 
Daniel Lintner, Jacob Killhaver, Rudy Herr, Jacob Frantsi, 
Godfrey Klugb, Mathew Oberholtzer, Rudy Herr, Jr., John 
Killhaver, Christian Hershy, Andrew KaufFman — James Patti- 
son, 107 acres, Nov. 21, 1734, James Logan, 700 acres, patent 
dated July 15, 1737, afterwards held by George Brenner, 
Philip Brenner, Christian Stouffer, Casper Souter, Adam 
Fisher, Valentine Rummel, Lawrence Cliffer, Christian Stake 
— Michael Baughman, 430, Michael Mayer, 131 acres, both 
same date, Feb. 20, 173S, Michael Mayer, sen., 217 acres, 
patent dated October 16, 1737, Abraham Steiner, 63 acres. 
May 3, 1740, John Wistlcr, 167 acres, July 3, 1741, Jacob 
Kuntz, 136, Anna Otlila Betty Koffer, 166, Jacob Hostetter, 
475, John Shank, 197 acres, patent dated July 30, 1741,Edvvard 
Sraout, 113 acres, June 21, 1743, Michael Baughman, 339, May 
28, 1752, Abraham Hare, 424, April 22, 1751, Jacob Wistler, 
12^5, Valentine Miller, 140, both May 25, 1756, Martin Funk, 
237, Dec. 18, 1758, Jacob Wistler, 202, Jacob Shuck, 165, Aug. 
18, 1759, Abraham and John Miller, 89, Valentine Haith, 29, 
Robert Beatty, 226, Feb. 1760, Samuel Herr, 247, John Keagy, 
188, Henry Funk, 150, Jacob Wistler, 173, Ludwich and 
Frederick Ziegler, 209 June, 1760, John Witmer, 77, Abraham 
Mill'^',204, Rudolph Herr. 176, Jacob Witmer, 77, Nov. 1761, 



132 HISTORY OF 

Passing, we would add the remark, that "technically 
speaking, there were no Manors, (that is, lands belong- 
ing to a Lord or Nobleman, or so much land as a Lord 
formerly kept in his own hands for the use and sub- 
sistence of his family) in Pennsylvania, although the 
proprietary's tithes, and .other large surveys for them, 
were so called," 

Tlie settlement of the Ferrees and Lefevres, received 
a considerable augmentation about this time. The 
promising fruitfulness of the country, beside other 
advantages, attracted settlers, among them were the 
Slaymakers, Witmers, Lightners, Eschelman, Herr, 
Hershey, Espenshade, Baer, Groff, Graaf, Zimmerman, 
Koenig, Keneagy, Denlinger, Beck, Soudor, Becker, 
Ream, and many others. 

James M'Master, 247, April, 1761, John Keagy, 159, Henry 
Funk, 1T7, David Hare, 195, John Miller, 150, George Adam 
Dastler, 112, John Correll, 209, Christian Stoner, 244, all dated 
761, Michael KaufFman, 116, John Kaiiffman, 118, Jacob 
.lauffman, 167, Christian Iiauffman, 163, Michael Iiauffman, 
118, Abraham Steiner,200, JohnWormely, 115, Jacob Whistler, 
19, John Kreemer, 184, Bartholomew Butt, 40, John Graff, 
136, all dated 1762, Philip Ulweiler, 39, Benjamin Miller, 220, 
David Hare, Jr. 94, Peter Snyder, 86, Henry Atkinson and 
^dam Bigging, 49, Peter Witmer, 182, dated 1763, John Miller, 
i30, Jan. 19, 1764, John Newcomer, 109, Joseph Nelson, 109, 
Jacob Wisler, 178, Mary Wright, 119, dated 1767, John Kendrick, 
558, James Pratt, 232, 1768, Henry Buckley, 150, 1769, William 
Wright, 257, 1770,. Ulrich Rebur, 232, John Manning, 165, 
1772, Jacob Ashleman, 340, 1774, Indian Town, 414, Blue 
Kock, 800 acres* We omitted fractions of acres. 

Note.— Thomas Penn estimated the value of Conestoga 
Manor, being 65 miles from the city of Philadelphia, 13,400, at 
£AD per hundred acres, j£5,360, Pennsylvania currency. — 
There is no date to the paper from waich wc made the extract. 
Sparks^ Franklin, III. 553. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 133 

A settlement was also commenced in the interior oi 
the comity ; Hans Graaf located at the head of a small 
stream, known by the name of Greve's run, in West Earl 
township.* He was joined next year by Mr. Wenger, 

*Hans Graaf fled from Switzerland to Alsace, with one of 
his brothers, about the year 1695 or 96, he came to Germantown, 
where he remained a short time; afterwards settled on Grove's 
Run, in Earl township, both of which were named in honor of 
him. The following circumstance, as related to us by one of 
his lineal descendants, will show the reader how Graaf was led 
to settle in Graaf s Thaal ; for this is the name by which the 
settlement is known to this day : 

His horses having strayed from Pequca; while in pursuit of 
them in a northern direction from the inhabited parts, he dis- 
covered a fine spring in a heavily timbered spot; the head of 
Grove's Run. In this elysian dale, said he, will I fix my per- 
manent abode. He nevertheless pursued his horses till he 
found them, and returned to Pequea. A short time afterward^, 
he made a disposition of his effects. Now he returned to the 
spring, and about one-half mile down, on the north side, h." 
erected a cabin under a large White Oak tree, in which he, hiL- 
wife and an only child, stayed all winter. In the spring of tht 
year, having secured by a warrant, dated November 2'3, 1717, ; 
large tract of land, he erected a house near the cabin. Th( 
spot where he erected the house in the spring of 1718, is stii 
pointed out by his progenitors. At this time, as was common 
v/ith the aborigines in all the new settlements, the Indians called 
frequently at his house to sell baskets and Hickory brooms. — 
3ir. Graaf had six sons; as soon as some of them were grov/n 
up, he turned his attention to dealing in blankets, and other 
articles of merchandize, which he procured at Philadelphia, 
and took them to Harris's Ferry, on the Susquehanna, and 
exchanged them for skins, furs and the like. 

He spoke, it is said, the Indian language fluently. When 
one of the sons drove, the old gentleman accompanied him, 
riding a fine steed, for he kept none but fine horses. On one 
occsaion, as his team was returning to Philadelphia, Peter, the 
oldest, was driving, in crossing the Brandywine, which was 
very flush at the time, he was i::i danger of a watery grave ; 

•13 



134 HISTORY OF 

one of whose grand-sons, Joseph Wenger, occupies the 
Honiestead. 

From and after 1718, settlements, in their incipient 
stages, had been pretty general throughout the greater 
]mvt of tlie county. The jNlill Creek Settlement, and 
others, were commenced about the year 1719, or 20. 

About tlie year 170S, Alexander Mack, of Slmesheim*, 
and seven others in Schwarzenau, Gennany, met in a 
religious c^ipacity, from which society, arose, what is 
well laiown, the Tunkers, or First Day German Bap- 
tists; and who, though apparently inoffensive, were 
made subjects of persecution, and were driven by force 
of oppression into Holland, some to Greyfels, and the 
mother church voluntarily removed to Serustervin, in 
^riesland, and thence emigrated to America, in 1719, 
^d dispei'sed to different parts in Pennsylvania, some to 

bnestoga, some to JNlill Creek, some to Oley, some to 

dppack, some remained at Germantown, where they 

3 father onahfty steed, rode in, took the young fellow on 
. own horse behind him, and seizing the lines, drove safely 
;*ough the rushing stream. 

iHe raised six sons, Peter, David, the grandfather of John 
,raaf our informant, John, Daniel, Marcus and Samuel, 
/ho was known as Graaf, der Jaeger, the huntsman. 

Hans Graaf, after having served his day and generation, the 
public also on several occasions,! ^-^^1 having divided his land 
among his sons, died, leaving a large family connection. — 
Perhaps there is no family in the county, more numerous 
respectable and useful citizens than tlie Graafs. So, v/ithout 
doubt, tlic magistrates and inhabitants of Lancaster county 
thought, when they met to settle upon the bounds and give 
names to townships, June 9, 1729: they had regard to the worth 
of this family in calling one of the townships, after the tlrst set- 
tlers of Graaf, i. e. Earl township. 

fCol. Rec. III. 4-20—673. 



LANCASTER COt/NTT. 135 

formed a cl.uich in 1723, under the charge of Peter 
Becker. 

Among the early settlers on Mill Creek, were Conrad 
Beissel, a man of some notoriety in the religious 
history of the county, Joseph Shaeffer, Hans Meyer, 
Henry Hoehn, and several Landises. 

The settlement near and around Lancaster, began to 
increase. Francis Neff, Hans Henry Neff, Doctor of 
Physic, who, and his descendants, are well known, Roody 
Mire, Michael Shank, Jacob Imble, and others, having 
settled here for some time. Lancaster was com- 
menced about the year 1721, or 1722. " The settlements 
about the Indian villages of Conestoga were considem- 
bly advanced in improvements at this time; the land 
tliereabouts being exceedingly rich; it is now (1721) 
surrounded with divers fine plantations, or farms, where 
they raise quantities of wheat, barley, flax and hemp, 
witliout the help of any dung.'^^ 

, According to tradition, where Lancaster is now built, 
was once an Indian Avigwam ; a Hickory tree stood in its 
centre, not far from a spring ; under this, the covmcils 
met, and it was from one of these that a deputation v/as 
seiit to confer with William Penn, at Shackamaxon, 
X6SS. ..The Indian nation was called Hickory, and the 
town was called Hickory Town, before Lancaster was 
laid outt '^Gibson, tavern-keeper, had a Hickory tree 
painted upon his sign, about the year 1722. His tavern 
was situated near where Slaymaker's Hotel was for 
many years, now occupied by the Hon. Benjamin 

*-Froud, II. 128, 

f According to Gordon, Lancaster was originally laid out in 
1728, by James Hamilton, Esq. of Philadeldhia, at the request, 
it is said, of the proprietaries, but certainly with a design on 
the pe^j^t of tUe founder to increase his estate. 



136 HISTORY OP 

Champneys, on East King street." Another Indian 
town was built on a flat land north-east of Hardwick, 
the seat of the late William Coleman, Esq., and a Poplar 
tree was the emblem of the tribe, whence their name was 
derived ; this wigwam was situated near Conestoga, and 
the tree stood upon its bank. 

About the time that Lancaster was building, some 
persons, without any warrant for land, settled on the 
west side of the Susquehanna. There was one John 
Grist, very abusive to the Indians, so much so, that they 
complained to the Governor of the mal-treatment re- 
ceived at the hands of this squatter. He was rather a 
reckless character; he, and his accomplices, were auda- 
cious, contemned the authority of Government. John 
Cartledge, Esq., by a warrant under the hand and seal 
of the Governor, raised a Posse Comitatus with instruc- 
tions to burn and destroy Grist's, and his accomplices, 
dwellings; Cartledge did not, however, enforce with 
stern rigidness the letter of his instructions ; but simply 
warned and admonished them forthwith to relinquish the 
lands they had unlawfully taken possession of. Grist, 
notwithstanding this pointed v/arning, refused to remove ; 
^vhereupon the Indians did destroy some of their cattle. 
Grist, with the fool hardihood of an inured transgressor, 
repaired to Philadelphia to raise complaint against the 
Indians. His contumacious behavior, which was con- 
sidered insolent and seditious, procured him lodgings in 
jpcil. The Board, who were moved in compassion for 
his poor family, granted him conditional release from 
prison. He returned home in Aug. 1722, and removed 
his family after he had gathered his corn.t 

Some time in the latter end of April, 1719, the 
Indians at Conestoga addressed a letter to JNIr. Logan, 

fCoI. Rec. III. 133-5. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 157 

Secretary, informing, through him, the Governor, that 
some of their Indians, while on a hunting expedition, 
were attacked near the head of Potomack river, by a 
body of southern Indians who had come out to war 
against tlie Five Nations, and the Indian settlements on 
Susquehanna; that the southern Indians had killed 
sevCTal of their people, by which those at Conestoga 
wei'e so much" alarmed that, in their opinion, "The care- 
ful attention and vigilance of Government was nevei" 
more called upon than at this juncture." 
. Measures were adopted by Government, "towards 
quieting the minds of the Indians, and also to prevent 
incursions upon them from southern Indians. In a letter 
from them, to the Governor, in the beginning of June, 
tlie Indians at Conestoga stated, "that if any of them had 
done amiss, and departed from what was right and good, 
in not strictly keeping their promises, and observing 
peace with all the Indians in friendship and league witli 
the English, they would, having admitted their errors 
and mistakes, offend no more, in that nature or case." 

Irmiiediately on the receipt of the letter, in question, 
Col. French was sent to Conestoga, by the advice of the 
Bo3j:d, to treat v/ith the Indians. French met them 
at Conestoga, on the 2Sth of June, 1719; on that day, he 
spoke to tliem,as follows: 

Friends and Brothers : 

*< By the seal to this paper affixed, and my old ac- 
quaintance and friendship with you, you Avill believe ma 
that I am a true man, and sent from your good friend 
aflid brother, the Governor of Pennsylvania, to let you 
know that he is well pleased and satisfied with the lettar 
he received by the care of our good friend, John Cart- 
ledge, in the beginning of this month, signed in behalf 
of yom- nations here met, m which letter you declare, 

12* 



1S8 HISTORY OP 

severally, your intentions of keeping his words, and if 
any amongst you have done amiss, and departed from 
v/hat was right and good in keeping your promises, to 
observe, strictly, peace with all the Indians in friendship 
and league with the English, you have therein 
acknowledged your errors and mistakes, and engaged to 
offend no more in that nature or case. * • 

The Governor takes these assurances of your good 
behavior very kindly, and now he and his council have 
sent me on purpose to visit you that I might further 
treat with you, and receive you in the same manner, and 
as fully as he and his council, of which I am a one, were 
all here and present with you, so well begun with our 
good friend, John Cartledge, and that I might more fully 
a,nd largely give him an account of your affairs, and how 
matters go with you. I must, therefore, acquaint you 
from my Governor, that as you, in your treaty, call 
yourselves his children, he will always trust you as his 
sons, and that he has ever since your good friend, 
William Penn, who is now dead, sent amongst joii, and 
endeavored by all means to keep you in peace, and given 
you other tokens of his friendship, that you might 
flourish and increase, that your old men mxight see their 
children grow up to their comfort and pleasure, and that 
the young men might bury their old parents when they 
die, which is much better than to see your old people 
mourn for their young sons, who rashly, and without 
cause, go to v/ar and are killed in the prime of their 
years ; and he hopss now that you are all fully con- 
vinced that peace is better than Vv^ar, v/hich destroys you 
and will bring you to nothing ; your strong young people 
being first killed, the old women and children are left 
defenceless, who soon will become a prey: and so all 
the nation perishes without leaving a name to posterity. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. ISO 

This is a plain mark that he and we are your true 
friends; for, if we were not, then we would encourage 
you to destroy one another: for friends save people from 
ruin and destruction, but enemies destroy them. And 
this will serve as a mark to know all people by, who 
are your enemies, either amongst you or elsewhere, if 
they want, or study to throw strife and dissention 
amongst you: these are a base and bad people, and 
ought to be rooted out from amongst you; for love and 
friendship make people multiply, but malice and "strife 
ruin and destroy. Such should, therefore, be shut out, 
both from you and us, as disturbers of our peace and 
friendship which have always continued. 

I am also to acquaint you, that you have in a grave 
and solemn manner renewed your last treaty with me, on 
which message I am now come, that our Governor will 
Vv^rite to all the Governors of the English that the Indians 
within his Government are resolved . to live peaceably 
and quietly, and for that reason that they should give 
notice to all their Indians thereof, and that all the friends 
to the English should be accounted as one people, and 
the Government desires you will let him know of 
what nation these Indians were who gave you the 
late disturbance, that they may especially be ordered to 
do so no more. 

I am also to acquaint you that it is the Governor's 
pleasure that if any of the Five Nations came amongst 
you to trade or hunt, that you receive them as friends 
and brothers ; but if they come amongst you, either to 
persuade you to go to War or to go themselves, or in 
their return from it, that then you have nothing to do 
with them nor entertain them; for he expects that none 
of his friends will know any people but such as are 



140 HISTORY OF 

peaceable, lest they bring you into a snare and you suffer 
hurt for their faults. 

The Governor expects and requires, that if any 
pi'isoners, by any means whatever, fall into any of your 
hands, that he be quickly acquainted Vith it, and that 
no person offer to take upon him to kill any stranger 
prisoner, for it will not be suffered here. He has been 
much displeased at what happened, and was done by 
some amongst you last year in these parts, but is now 
again a friend upon their promise and engagement to do 
so no more, and will take no more notice of it, if they 
observe and fulfil their words. It is indeed, a shameful 
and base thing to treat a creature of their own shape 
and kind worse and more barbarously than they would 
a bear or wolf, or the most wicked creature upon earth. 
It is not man-lilvc to see a hundred or more people sing- 
ing songs of joy for the taking of a prisoner, but it is 
much worse to see them use all their contrivances of 
torture and pain, to put that unfortunate creature to 
death after such a manner, and was as other nations, 
especially the English, now heard of; for if they in a 
just war kill their enemies, it is like men, in the battle, 
and if they take them prisoners, they use them well 
and kindly, until their King gives orders to return tliem 
to their own country. They take no pleasure meanly to 
bum, pinch or slash, a poor man who cannot defend 
himself, it shows mean spirits and want of true courage 
to do SQ. For men of true courage are always full of 
mercy. I am commanded to tell you, and should liav^e 
you remember it well, that no person whatever offer, 
after this time, to put any man to death by torture here, 
for v/lu>soever does it must answer it to the Governor 
and Government at their peril. I-t is inconsistent with 
the ways of nations ; it is a riolent affront to our Govern- 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 141 

ment, and is contrary to the laws of the Great King, 
who will not suffer it. 

As our mutual and good friendship has long con- 
tinued; so the Governor hopes, and the Government 
also, that it will last from one generation to another, as 
long as the sun endures ; and that we shall be of one 
mind, one heart, one inclination, ready to help one 
another in all just and good ways, by charity, compas- 
sion and mercy, sticking closely and inviolately to ail 
ti^eaties heretofore made ; and most exactly to this now 
concluded, which he hopes will forever last and remain 
to your good and prosperity, which he and this Govern- 
ment heartily wish ; and it is expected that eveiy article 
of this treaty be from the whole hearts of all of you ; so, 
if amongst yourselves, you know of any who have from 
your last treaty, or will dissent from this, let them be 
known either by their own v/ords or 3^our knowledge of 
tJiem, for what I do, I have done with the whole consent 
af our Governor, council and people/^ 

Col. John French, in company with Capt. James 
Gould, Joseph Pigeon, John Cartledge and James Hen- 
drickson, met the next day in council at Conestoga. — 
There were present, on part of the Indians, Canatowa, 
Queen of the Mingoes, Sevana, King of the Shawenese, 
Wightomina, King of the Delawares, Wininehack, 
King, of the Canawages, and Captain Civility, of 
Conestoga. 

Civility, interpreter, in behalf of the four nations, 
who all agreed to return one answer, acquainted John 
Cartledge, interpreter for the English, that this day the 
Indians were met to return an answer to the Governor's 
speech by Colonel French, and no other accoimt. — 
Looking upon every thing said to Colonel French to be 
said as if the Governor and his council were then 



142 HISTORY or 

present, and Colonel French to be a true man to the 
Government and to the Indians ; they return with one 
heart and mind their thanl*s to the Governor for this 
kind message. They meet him and take him by the 
hand,, and are forever determmed that his will shall 
be tlieirs, and that, on all occasions, they will be ruled by 
them. 

They desire that the Governor may be acquainted 
that they are much pleased that his message came 
whilst their young people were at home, for whom they 
had lately been in pain and trouble as being absent or 
abroad, tliat they might hear his good words and counsel^ 
which both old and young of the Mingoes, Shawanese., 
Delawares and Conawages, are resolved to hearken to ; 
for though hitherto they have taken night for day, yet 
now by his good counsel they can see the light and 
what is good for them. They are glad that none gf 
their young people miscarried in their late journey, and 
that being now present, they have an opportunity of 
hearing tlie Governor's message by Col. Frencli, for 
most of them were, when the other letters fron\ the 
Governor came, also that they have an opportunity to 
2isk tlieir opinions and designs. Their young people 
agree to obey the Governor?s words and message. And 
as Colonel French yesterday told them, that wliat he 
said was with the whole heart of Governor and council ; 
so tliey declare that what they say is hot from tlieir 
mouths only, but from their whole hearts, and the heari 
of every one. They desire the Governor to believe, and 
be assured that they will be obedient to his words, and 
tiiat tliey ever have, and ever will, advise their young 
people to be mindful of his good advice. They 
acknowledge themselves so ^ much obliged to the Go- 
vernor for his care and concern for them, diat they intend 



hi two months' time to wait upon the Governor 
personally, to return their hearty thanlis for such love 
from him and his Government." 

James Logan, Secretary, being on business up the 
farther end of the Great Valley, on the road to Cones- 
toga, went to the Susquehanna, at the request of the 
Governor, where he, by appointment with the Indians, 
v/ho were desirous to speak with him on the 27th of 
June, met them at the house of John Cartledge. The 
chiefs of the Mingoes or Conestogoe Indians, the sachem 
or chief of the Shawanese, the chief of the Ganawese, 
with several of their people and some of the Delawares, 
had assembled there ; John Cartledge and Peter Bi- 
zaillon, interpreter, having seated themselves; James 
Logan addressed the Indians, "telling them thai as they 
had been long expected at Philadelphia, in pursuance of 
tlieir own messages for that purpose; but instead of 
coming, had lately sent to the Governor, desiring some 
reasons that he would come up to them. Here their old 
friends, with whom they had been acquainted in their 
ti-eaties for twenty years past, being now come on 
business into these parts were willing to hear from 
themselves, not only how it was with them, but the 
occasion of their delaying their journey to Philadelphia 
so long, and at length sendmg the said message to the 
Governor. They hereupon sat silent without appearing 
ready to speak to any thing, and making no return, the 
secretary pressed them to answer him, telling them that 
he asked these questions in behalf of the Governor and 
Government, that they themselves had appeared desi- 
rous to speak to him, and that as they now had an 
opportunity they ought to proceed and speak their minds 
freely. To which at length they answered, that there 
had been lately killed, by the southern Indians, twelve 



144 HISTORY OP 

men; two of the Mingoes or Five Nations and two 
Shawanese, about one hundred and sixty miles from 
that place, which was the occasion of their sending that 
message. James Logan asked them, whether these two 
Shawanese had been abroad hunting : they answered, 
no ! They had gone out to war. He then dem^anded 
the reason why they would offer to go to war after their 
solemn promises to our Government to the contrary. 
The chief of the Shawanese replied, that a dispute aris- 
ing among some of their young men, who was the best 
man, to end it, they resolved to make the trial by going 
to war, that they could not be restrained, but took the 
opportunity of accompanying some of the Five Nations 
that were going out and took their road that way. 

The Secretary told them he should have a great deal 
to say to them on these heads, and that the day being 
now far advanced, he must desire them to meet him in 
the same place in the morning, and then treating them 
with some drink withdrevvr. 

Next morning the same persons attended, bringing 
some bundles of skins with them; from whence it being 
conjectured that the Indians designed to begin a discourse. 
All being seated, after somxO time spent in silence, the 
Mingces or Conestogoe Indians began ; a Ganawese In- 
dian, who called him Capt. Smith, and is said to speak 
ail the several languages, viz : his own, or the Ganawese, 
the Mingoe, the ShanaY\rese and Delaware, to perfection, 
being appointed interpreter into the Delav/are tongue, 
and Peter Bizaillon and John Cartledge interpreting into 
English. They spoke as follows : 

" The last year Colonel French came to them on a 
message from the Governor, to inquire into their health, 
and how it was with them, their children and grand- 
children." 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 145 

That they were not then ready to give an answer 
to all that he said to them, but that now they would 
speak freely from the bottom of their hearts, and their 
friends might depend on not having words only, but 
their truest inward sentiments without reserve : and then 
they laid down a bundle of undressed deer skins. 

That Col. French and those with him told them from 
the Governor that the message the Governor sent them, 
and the advice he gave them, ivere from his heart and for 
their good, and they would as freely speak from their 
hearts. The Governor advised them to go out no more 
to war, nor to join with any of the Five Nations, or 
others that went out for that purpose, but to live at 
peace with all people, and if any prisoners were brought 
to their towns, they should not suffer them to be burned 
or tortured. That though some of their people were 
killed once or again, yet they should not go out, but bear 
it, but the third time they might all go out as one man 
together ; that this they thought was somewhat too hard 
upon them, if they must be as prisoners at home, and 
could not go to meet their enemies that came against 
them; that when Governor Penn first held councils 
with them, he promised them so much love and friend- 
ship that he would not call them brothers, because 
brothers might differ, nor children, because these might 
offend and require correction, but he would reckon them 
as one body, one blood, one heart and one head; that 
they always remembered this, and should on their parts 
act accordingly ; that five of the old men who were at 
those comicils were hving; these were removed, and 
those who were then very young are now grown up to 
succeed, but transmitted it to their children, and they and 
all theirs should remember it forever ; that tliey regarded 
uot reports, or what was said abroad, their head was at 

13 



146 HISTORY OP 

Philadelphia, and they were one with him ; on him they 
depended that they should know every thing that con- 
cerned them. 

The Ganawese, in behalf of their people say, they are 
glad that they never heard any thing from the Govern- 
ment at Philadelphia, but good advice, and what is for 
their advantage^ that their present chief was once at a 
council with William Penn before they removed into this 
province, and that since they came into it, they have 
always Uved quiet and in peace, which they acknowledge, 
and are thankful for it; that the advice that is sent them 
is always so much for their good that they cannot but 
gladly receive it. When the sun sets they sleep in 
peace, and in peace they rise with him, and so continue 
while he continues his course, and think themselves 
happy in their friendship, which they shall take care to 
have continued from generation to generation. And 
that as it shall thus forever continue on their side, so 
tliey desire the same may continue on the Governor's 
part ; and that if any reports should be heard concerning 
them, they desire, it may not be believed to their disad- 
vantage, for they will still be true and the same they at 
first professed themselves ; and then laid down a bundle 
of deer skins. 

The Conestogas say : 

That William Penn made a league with them to last 
for three or four generations ; that he is now dead, and 
most of their ancients are also dead, but the league of 
friendship continues strong, and shall forever continue so 
on their part. And this is not said on behalf of them- 
selves, the Mingoes only, but of all the Indians on the 
river; and they gave another bundle of deer skins. 
Captain Civility threw down a small bundle of furs, 
saying : 



/ 
LANCASTER COUNTT. 147 

« That they all join and sent that as a present to the 
GoTernor to make him a beaver hat. They say in 
behalf of the Ganawese, that they have no writing to 
show their league of friendship as the others have, and 
therefore desire they may be favored with one lest, if they 
should transgress by reason of rum, which was brought 
to them in too large quantities, they may be cast off 
and forgotten that ever they were in friendship with us." 

The Indians being met again after some refreshments, 
the secretary spoke to them as follows: 

"It must be a great satisfaction to all honest and good 
men to find that the measures that great man, William 
Penn, took to establish a firm friendship with you had 
such excellent success. Your predecessors and you 
always found him sincere in what he professed. He 
always ordered all those in power during his absence to 
show you all the like friendship and affection. Every 
Governor that has been the same to you, and the present 
Governor, Colonel Keith, showed the same disposition 
immediately upon his arrival, by hastening up to you 
with his council and many of his friends as soon as he 
heard you were in trouble. 

You, on your part, have been faithful and true to us, 
whatever reports might be spread, yet the chain was 
still preserved strong and bright. We have lived in 
perfect peace and unity above any other Government in 
America. And you renewing the chain at this time upon 
the decease of yoiu: great friend with us who remain 
alive, is so affectionate and kind that I shall not fail to 
represent it duly to the Governor and your good friends 
in Philadelphia. This chain has been made forty years 
ago ; it is at this time strong and bright as ever, and I 
hope will continue so between our children and your 
children, and theii children's children to all generations 



148 HISTORY OF 

while the water flows or the sun shines in the heavens; 
and may the Great Spirit, who rules the heavens and the 
earth, and who made and supported us all, who is a friend 
to all good men who love justice and peace, continue the 
same blessings upon it forever. 

But my friends and brothers, as we are obliged to care 
for each other, and as the English have opportunities of 
seeing farther than you, I find myself obliged, in behalf 
of the Governor and Government, to offer you some 
advice that may be of great importance to you, and 
which at this time is absolutely necessary. 

You acquainted me yesterday with a loss you had 
sustained, viz : that twelve men, ten of the Five Nations 
and two Shawanese, had been lately cut off by the 
southern Indians, not two hundred miles from this place, 
which grieves me exceedingly. 

I am scarcely willing to mention the cause of it, lest I 
should trouble you, but I must do it for your good; 
I should not be your true friend should I forbear. 

You know then, my brothers, that the cause is that 
some of your young inen have unadvisedly gone out to 
war in company with others of the Five Nations 
against the southern Indians. Young men love to go 
sometimes to war to show their manhood, but they have 
unhappily gone against Indians that are in friendship 
with the English. You know, that as of the Five 
Nations, some are called Isawandswaes,.some Cayoogoes, 
some Anondogees, some Oneyookes, and some Con- 
nyinngoes, yet they are all one people ; so the English, 
though they have different Governments, and are divided 
into New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsyl- 
vania, Maryland, Virginia and Carolina, yet they are all 
under one great king who has twenty times as many 
subjects as all these, and has in one city as many 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 149 

subjects as all tlie Indians we know are in North 
America, To him we are all subject and are all 
governed by the same laws; therefore, those Indians 
who are in league with one Government are in league 
with all; your friendship with us recommends you to the 
friendship of all other English Governments, and 
their friends are our friends. You must not, therefore, 
hurt or annoy any of the English or any of their friends 
whatsoever. 

Tkose southern Indians, especially the Tootelese, 
formerly made friendship with you, and I believe it was 
them who lately sent you nine belts of wampum to con- 
tinue the league. They desired peace, yet the Five 
Nations, and some of your rash young men have set 
upon them ; pray, remember, they are men as well as 
you; consider, therefore, I request, what you would 
tliink of yourselves, should you suffer these or any other 
people to come year after year and cut off your towns, 
your wives and children, and those that escape should sit 
still and not go out against them; you would not then 
deserve to be accounted men ; and as they, you find, are 
men, it is no wonder if they come out to meet these 
young fellows and endeavor to destroy those whose 
business it is to destroy them and their families." 

I must further, my friend, lay before you the conse- 
quence of your suffering any of your young men to join 
with tliose of the Five Nations. They come through 
your towns and bring back their prisoners through your 
settlements, thus they open a clear path from these 
southern Indians to your towns, and they who have 
been wrong may follow that open path, and first come 
directly as the path leads to you. Thus you have done 
but little, and by the instigation and advice of others 
may be the first that are fallen upon, while those of ihe 

13* 



150 HISTORY OP 

Five Nations are safe at home, at a great distance "with 
their wives and children, and you may be the only 
sufferers. 

They have hitherto come out to meet their enemies 
who were going to attack them, and like men they fight 
them; but as I am your friend, I must further inform you 
that these people would come quite up to your towns to 
do the same to you that they have suffered, but your 
being settled among the English has hitherto preserved 
you, for the Governors of Virginia and Carolina can no 
longer hinder them from defendkig themselves. They 
desired peace, and would live m peace, if it might be 
granted them. 

I must further inform you, as your friend, that this 
whole business of making war in the manner you do, is 
now owing to those who desire nothing more than to see 
all the Indians cut off, as well to the northward as to the 
southward, that is the French of Canada, for they would 
have the Five Nations to destroy the southern nations, 
the destruction of all being their desire. The Governor 
told you, by Col. French, that they were your enemies 
who put you upon war; and they are your truest 
friends, who would preserve you in peace ; hearken to 
the advice of your friends, and you will be preserved. — 
You see your numbers yearly lessen; I have known 
above three score men belonging to this town, and now 
I see not five of the old men remaining. 

What the Governor has said to you by myself and by 
Colonel French, and what I now say to you is for your 
own advantage, and if you are your own friends you. 
will pursue the advice that is given you. If any of the 
Five Nations come this way in their going to war, and 
call on any of you to accompany tliem, you must inform 
them as you are in league with us, and are our people. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 151 

you cannot break your promises,, and it cannot but be 
pleasing to them to see yoUjlive in such friendship with 
us. I have said enough on these heads, and you I, hope 
will lay it up in yoiy* liearts, and duly observe it : let it 
sink into your minds, for it is of great weight. 

The Ganawese have behaved thernselves well since 
they came amongst us, and they shall have what they 
desire. Your people of Conestogoe, about twenty years 
ago, brought the Shawanese to Philadelphia to see and 
treat with Governor Penn, and then promised the 
Governor that they would answer for the Shawanese 
that they would live peaceably and in friendship with usj^ 
but we find their ears are thick, they do not hear what 
we say to them, nor regard our advice. 

The chief of the Shawanese answered to this with 
deep concern; that this was occasioned by the young 
men who lived under no Government; that when their 
king, who was then living, Opessah, took the Govern-, 
ment upon him, but the people differed with him; he left 
them, tliey had no chief, therefore some of them applied 
to him to take that charge upon him, but that he had 
only the nation without any authority, and would do 
nothing. He counselled them, but they would not obey, 
therefore he cannot answer for them ; and divers that 
were present, both English and Iiidians, confirmed the 
truth of this. 

The secretary hereupon admonished him and the rest 
to take a further care, that what had been said should 
be pressed upon the young people and duly observed ; 
and tlien calling for liquor and drinlving with them 
dismissed them. 

But the Indians, before they would depart, earnestly 
pressed that an account of this treaty should, with all 
possible speed, be despatched to the Governors to the 



152 HISTORT OP 

southward, and to their Indians, that further mischief 
might he prevented; for they were apprehensive the 
southern Indians might come out to meet the Five 
Nations, and then they, as had been said to them, lying 
in the road might be the sufferers, but they truly desired 
peace, and Avere always against molesting any Indians 
tliat were under the protection or lived in friendship 
with the English. 

Tiie secretary then proposed to them that they should 
send some of their people with belts of wampum to the 
Governor of Virginia, to assure him of their resolution 
to live in peace, and to desire him to acquaint all his 
Indians with the same. They readily agreed to send 
belts without delay, and promised the following week to 
bring them to Philadelphia ; but they seemed appre- 
liensive of danger to theh people in going to Virginia, 
where they were all strangers, unless the Governor 
Avould send some English in company with them to 
protect them. 

After this conference was ended, Civility desired to 
speak with the secretary^ in private, and an opportunity 
being given, he acquainted the secretary that some of 
the Five Nations, especially the Cayoogoes, had at divers 
times expressed a dissatisfaction at the large settlements 
madfi by the English on the Susquehanna, and that 
they seemed to claim a property or right to those lands. 
Tlie secretary answered, that he (Civility) and all the 
nations were sensible of the contrary, and that the Five 
Nations had long since made over all their right to Sus- 
quehajma to the Government of New York,* and tliat 

♦WilUam. Penn had engaged Thomas Dongan, late Gove>rnor 
of New York, to make a purchase of these lands. Dongan, 
(January 13th, 1G90,) conveyed by deeds to William Peon all 
that tract of land lying on both sides of the river Susquehanna, 



LANCASTER COUNTY; 1*5^ 

Governor Penn had purchased that right with which 
tliey had been fully acquainted. Civility acknowledged 
the truth of this, but proceeded to say he thought it his. 
duty to inform us of it, that we might the better prevent 
all misunderstanding/' 

Thie following week they redeemed their promises "to* 
send their bolts of wampum without delay to Philadel- 
phia." The Conestogos sent their belts by Tagolelessor 
Civility, Oyanowhachso, Sohais Connedechto's son ajid 
Tayucheinjch : the Ganawese, by Ousewayteichks or 
Captain Smith, Sahpechtah, Meemeeivoonnook, Win- 
jock's son, George Waapessum and John Prince : Ken- 
neope carried the Shawanese belt of wampum. 

He informed them tliat he was pleased to hear that 
liiey were disposed to be peaceable, and that he would, 
with all possible despatch, send a message to the south, 
to acquaint the Indians there of their peaceable inten- 
tions ; but as it would require some time to do this fully, 
he advised those present, and through them then about 
Susquehanna, to take care of themselves and keep out of 
tiie warrior's paths till a full and perfect peace and good 
understanding can be settled. 

Tlie Governor and council sent Samuel Robins to 
Governor Spotswood, of Virginia, with these belts; he 
delivered them ; and returned in March following, with 
two belts from the Indians of Virginia, which were sent 

and the Lakes adjacent^ in or near the province of Pennsyl- 
vania^ in consideration of £100 sterling: beginning at the 
mountains, or head of the said river, and running as far as, 
and into the bay of Chesapcak, which the said Thomas lately 
purchased of, or had given himby the Susquehanna Indians, 
with warranty from the Susquehanna Indians. — Smithy II. Ill, 
112. This purchase was confirmed in 1700, when Penn held 
a treaty with the Mingoes; and subsequently at a meeting at 
Conestoga it was again confirmed.— -.Co/. 5ec. ///. 95.. 



154 HISTOST OP 

to those of Conestogoe, assuring tlwm that they " will 
not in future pass over Potomack river to eastward or 
northward, or the high ridge mountains extending along 
the back of Virginia: Provided, That those of Cones- 
togo, and those to the northward, shall not pass over 
Potomack into Virginia, to the southward, nor shall go 
over to the eastward of the said ridge of mountains."— 
Jolm Cartledge delivered them the belts and interpreted 
the message. 



CHAPTER IV. 



Governor Keith visits the Governor of Virginia^Holds a council with 
tlie Indians at Conestoga; — Indians complain of the use of rum, &c— 
Their trade in pelts impaired— Secretary Logan holds a discourse with 
Ghesaont — Ghesaont's reply, &c. — Disturbances created by intruders 
under pretence of finding coppermines, &c<- — Governor Keith has a 
Knrvey of lands made on the West side of Susquehanna— Indians 
alarmed by Maryland intruders — Logan, French and Sheriijf of the county 
hold a council at Conestoga — Keith determines to resist attempted 
encroachments by the Marylanders — A council is held at Conestoga— 
Springetsburg manor surveyed — Council held at Conoytown— Settlement 
of Germans at Swatara and Tulpehocken. 

In the preceding chapter, it is stated, that Samuel 
Robins had been sent, by the Governor and coimcil, to 
Governor Spottswood, of Virginia; but before he 
returned. Governor Keith started for Virginia; on his 
way thither, he met Robins, at Chester, returning to 
Philadelphia. Keith, after an interview had with 
Robins, pursued his journey. 

In order to reconcile the Pennsylvania Indians and 
those of the south, he visited the Governo-r of Virginia, 
in person. The dissentions among the belligerents were 
caused about their hunting grounds. The quarreU 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 155 

between the Indians were such as to disturb the peace 
of the province. To prevent this, Keith entered into 
articles of stipulation; returned, determined on, and 
soon afterwards, visiting the Indians at Conestoga, to 
have them ratify the treaty, which was in substance; 
"That the Indians resident on the north and south of the 
Potomac be confined to their respective sides of the 
river.'' 

Governor Keith, accompanied by a suit of seventy 
horsemert^ many of them well armed, repaired to 
Conestoga.* "He arrived there, July 5th, 1721, at 
noon, and in the evening went to Captain Civility's 
cabm, where four deputies of the Five Nations, and 
some few more of their people, came to see the Go- 
vernor, who spake to them by an interpreter to this 
purpose : 

That this being the first time that the Five Nations 
had thought fit to send any of their chiefs to visit him 
(the Governor had invited them to Philadelphia; but they 
refused), he had come a great way from home to bid 
them welcome ; that he hoped to be better acquainted 
and hold a further discourse with them before he left the 
plaice. 

They answered, that they were eome a long way on 
purpose to see the Governor and speak with him; that 
they had heard much of him, and would have come 
here before now, but that the faults or mistakes of their 
young men had made them ashamed to shew their faces, 
but now that they had seen the Governor's face, they 
were well satisfied with their journey, whether any thing 
else was done or not. 

The Governor told them that to-morrow morning he 
design«d to speak a few words to his brothers and 

*Proud, II. 129. 



156 HISTORY OP 

children, the 'Indians of Conestoga and their friends 
'upon Susqliehanna, and desired that deputies of the 
Five Nations might be present in council to hear what is 
said to them. 

At a council held at Conestoga, July 6th, 1721 — 
l^resent: the Hon. Sir William Keith, Bart., Gov. 
Richard Hill, Caleb Pusey, Jonathan Dickinson, Col. 
Jolin French, James Logan, secretary. 

The Governor spoke to the Indians, as folloAVs: My 
brothers and children, soon as you sent me word that 
your friends and relations, the chiefs of the Five 
Nations, were come to visit you, I made haste and came 
up to see both you and them, and to assure all the 
Indians of the continuance of my love to them. 

Your old acquaintance and true friend, the great 
William Penn, was a wise man, and therefore he did not 
approve of v/ars among the Indians whom he loved, 
because it wasted and destroyed their people, but 
always recommended peace to the Indians as the surest 
way to make them rich and strong by increasing their 
numbers. 

Some of you can well remember since William Penn 
and his friends came first to settle among you in this 
country ; it is but a few years, and like as yesterday, to 
an old man ; nevertheless, by following that great man's 
peaceable comicils this Government is now become 
wealthy and powerful, in great numbers of people ; and 
though, many of our mhabitants are not accustomed to 
war, and dislike the practice of men killing one another, 
yet you cannot but know I am able to bring several 
thousands into the field well armed to defend both your 
people and ours from being hiut by any enemy that 
durst attempt to invade us. However, we do not forget 
what William Penn often told us, *• That the experience 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 157 

of old age, which is true wisdcm, advises peace," and I 
say to you, that the wisest man is also the bravest man, 
for he safely depends on his wisdom, and there is hd 
true courage without it. I have so great a love for you, 
my dear brothers^ who live under the protection of this 
Government, thai I cannot suffer you to be hurt no more 
thaji I would my own children. I am just now returned 
from Virginia, where I wearied myself in a long journey 
both by land and water, only to make peace for you, my 
children, that you may safely hunt in the woods without 
danger from Virginia, and the many Indian nations that 
are at peace with that Government. But the Governor 
of Virginia expects that you will not hunt within the 
Great Mountains, on the other side of Potomac river; 
being it is a small tract of land which he keeps for the 
Virginia Indians to hunt in; and he promises that his 
Indians shall not any more come on this side Potomac, 
or behind the Great Mountains, this way, to disturb your 
hunting; and this is the condition I have made for you, 
which I expect you will firmly keep, and not break it on 
any consideration whatsoever. 

I desire that what I have now said to you, may be 
interpreted to the chiefs of the Five Nations, present ; 
for as you are a part of them. They are in like manner 
one with us, as you yourselves are ; and therefore our 
councils must agree and be made known to one another ; 
for our hearts should be open, that we may perfectly see 
into one another's breasts. And that your friends may 
speak to me freely, tell them I am willing to forget the 
mistakes which some of their yoimg men were guilty of^ 
among our people ; I hope they will grow wiser with 
age, and hearken to the grave counsels of their old men 
whose valor we esteem because they are wise; but 
the rashness of their young men is altogether folly. 

14 



158 HISTORY OF 

At Conestoga, in council, July 7th. — Present: Gov, 
Keith, Richard Hill, Caleb Pusey, Jonathan Dickinson, 
Col. John French, James Logan, Secretary, with divers 
other gentlemen. Present, also : The chiefs or deputies 
sent by the Five Nations to treat with the Government, 
viz : Sinnekaes nation, Ghesaont, Awennool, Onondagoes 
nation, Tannawree, Skeetowas, Gayoogoes nation, 
Sahoode, Tchehuque. 

Smith, the Ganawese Indian interpreter of the Mingo 
language to the Delawares; John Cartledge and James 
Le Tort, interpreter of the Delaware into English. 

Ghesaont, in the name and on the behalf of all the 
Five Nations, delivered himself in speaking to the 
Governor, as follows : 

They were glad to see the Governor and his comicil 
at this place, for they had heard much of the Governor 
in their towns before they came from home, and now 
they find him to be what they had then heard of him, 
viz : their friend and brother, and the same as if William 
Penn were still amongst them. They assure the Go- 
vernor and council that they had not forgot William 
Penn's treaties with them, and that his advice to them 
was still fresh in their memories. 

Though they cannot write, yet they retain every thing 
said in their councils with all the nations they treat 
with, and preserve it as carefully in their memories 
as if it was committed in our method to writing. 

They complain that our traders carrying goods and 
liquors up the Susquehanna river, sometimes meet with 
their young men out to war, and treat them unliuidly; 
not only refusing to give them a dram of their liquor, 
but use them with ill language, and call them dogs, &c. 

They take this unkindly, because dogs have no sense 
or understanding; whereas they are men, and think that 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 159 

their brothers should not compare them to such creatures.. 
That some of our traders calling their young men by 
those names, the young men answered, "if they were 
dogs then they might act as such;'^ whereupon, they 
seized a keg of their liquor and ran away with it. 

N. B. — This seems to be told in their artful way to 
excuse some small robberies that had been committed by 
their young people. 

Then laying down a belt of wampum upun the table, 
he proceeded, and said: That all their disorders arose 
from the use of rum and strong spirits, which took away 
their sense and memory ; that they had no such liquors 
among themselves, but were hurt with what we fur- 
nished to them, and therefore desired them that no 
more of that sort might be sent among them. 

He presented a bundle of dressed skins, and said: 
That the Five Nations, faithfully, remembered all their 
ancient treaties, and now desire that the chain of friend- 
ship, between them and us, may be made strong as that 
none of the links can never be broken. 

Presents a bundle of raw skins, and observes : That a 
chain may contract rust with lying and become weaker 
wherefore, he desires it may now become so Avell 
cleaned as to remain brighter and stronger than ever it 
was before. 

Presents another parcel of skins, and says : That as in 
the firmament all clouds and darkness are removed from 
the face of the sun, so they desire that all misunderstand- 
ings may be fully done away ; so that when they who 
are now here shall be dead and gone, their whole people 
with their children and posterity, may enjoy the clear 
sunshine of friendship \»ith us forever, without any 
thing to interpose and obscure it. 

Presents another bundle of skins^ and says : That 



160 HISTORY OP 

looking upon the Governor, as if. William Penn was 
present, they desire, that in case any disorders shoifcld 
hereafter happen between their young and ours, we 
would not be too hasty in resenting any such accident^ 
until their council and oius can have sonie opportunity tcj 
treat amicably upon it, and so to adjust all matters as 
that the friendship between us may still be inviolably 
preserved. 

Presents another parcel of dressed skins and desires : 
That we may now be together as one people, treating 
aiie another's children kindly and affectionately on all 
occasions. He proceeds, and says : That they consider 
themselves, in this treaty, as the full plenipotentiaries 
2Uid representations of the Five Nations, and they look 
upon the Governor as the Great King of England's 
Representative, and therefore they expect that every 
thing now stipulated will be made absolutely firm and 
good on both sides. 

Presents a bundle of bear skins, and says: That 
having now made a firm league with us as becomes ou$ 
brothers, they complain that they get too little for their 
skins and furs, so as they cannot live by their hunting. — 
They desire us, therefore, to take compassion on 
them and contrive some way to help them in that 
particular. 

Presenting a few furs, he speaks only as for himself to 
acquaint the Governor that the Five Nations having 
heard that the Governor of Virginia wanted to speak 
with them. He himself, with some of his company, 
intend to proceed to Virginia, but do not know tire way 
how to get safe thither. 

At a comicil held at the house of John Gartledge, Esq. 
near Gonestoga, July 8th, 1721. Present, Gov. Keith, 



LANCASTER COTHiTY. 116 

Richard Hill, Jonathan Dickinson, Col. John French, 
James Logan, secretary. 

The Governor desired the Board would advise him as to 
the quantity and kind of presents that must be made to 
the Indians in retmii to theirs, and in confirmation of his 
speech to them. Whereupon it was agreed that twenty- 
five strowd match coats of two yards each, one 
hundred weight of gunpowder, two hundred weight of 
lead, with some biscuit, tobacco and pipes, should be 
delivered as the Governor's present to the Five Nations. 
And the same being prepared accordingly, the council 
was adjourned to Conestoga, the place of treaty. 

At a council held at Conestoga, July 8th, 1721. P. M. 
Present: Gov. Keith, and the same members as before, 
with divers^ gentlemen attending, the Governor and the 
chiefs of the Five Nations being all seated in council^ 
and the presents laid down before the Indians. — 
The Governor spoke to them, by tlie interpreters, in 
these words : 

My friends and brothers, it is a great satisfaction to me 
that I have this opportunity of speaking to the valient 
and wise Five Nations, whom you tell me you are fully 
empowered to represent. I treat with you, therefore, as 
if all these nations, here, were present; and you are to 
understand that what I now say to be agreeable to the 
minds of our great monarch, George, the King of Eng- 
land, who lends his care to establish peace amongst all 
the mighty nations of Europe, and unto whom all the 
the people, in these parts, are as it were but like one 
drop of a bucket;, so that what is now transacted 
between us must be laid up as the words of the whole 
body of your people and our people, to be kept in 
perpetual remembrance. I am also- glad to find that 
you remember what WiUiam Penn formerly said to you. 

14* 



162 HISTORY OP 

He was a great man, and a good man; his own people 
loved him; he loved the Indians, and they also loved 
him; he was as their father; he would never suffer 
them to be wronged; never would he let his people enter 
upon any lands until he had fii'st purchased them of the 
Indians. He was just, and therefore tlie Indians loved 
him. 

Though he is now removed from us, yet his children 
and people follow his example, will always take the 
same measures, so that his and our posterity will be as a 
long chain of which he was the first link, and one link 
ends another succeeds, and then anotlier being all firmly 
bound together in one strong chain to endure forever. — 
He formerly knit the chain of friendship with you as the 
chief of all the Indians in these parts, lest this cham 
sliould grow rusty you now desire it may be secured and 
made strong, to bind us as one people together. We do 
assure you it is, and has always been bright on one side, 
and so we will ever keep it. 

As to your complaint of our traders, that they have 
treated some of your young men mikindly, I take that to 
be said only by way of excuse for the follies of your 
people, thereby endeavoring to persuade me that they 
were provoked to do what you very well know they did; 
but, as I told our own Indians tv.^o days ago, I am 
willing to pass by all these things. You may therefore be 
assured that our people shall not offer any injury to 
yours ; or if I know that they do, they shall be severely 
punished for it. So you must, in like manner, strictly 
command your young men that they do not offer any 
injury to ours; for when they pass through the utmost 
skirts of our inhabitants, where there are no people yet 
settled, but a few traders, they should be more careful of 
them as having separated themselves from the body of 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 163 

their friends, purely to serve the Indians more comma- 
diously with what they want Nevertheless, if any 
little disorders should at any time hereafter arise, we 
vM endeavor that it shall not break or weaken the 
dhain of friendship between us; to which end, if any of 
your people take offence, you must in that case apply to 
me or to our chiefs; and when we shall have any cause 
to complain, we shall, as you desire, apply to your 
chiefs by our friends, the Conestogoe Indians, but on 
both sides we must labor to prevent every thing of this 
kind as much as we can. 

You complain that our traders come into the path of 
your young men going out to war, and thereby occasion 
disorders amongst them; I will therefore, my friends and 
brothers, speak very plainly to you on this head. Your 
young men come down the Susquehanna river and take 
their road through our Indian towns and settlements, and 
make a path between us and the people against whom 
they go out to war; now you must know, that the path 
this way, leads, them only to the Indians who are in 
alliance with the English, and first those who are in 
strict league of friendship with the great Governor of 
Virginia, just as these, our friends and children, who are 
settled amongst us, are in league with me and our 
people. You cannot therefore make war upon the 
Indians in league with Virginia without weakening the 
chain with the English ; for as we would not suffer these 
our friends and brothers of Conestogoe, and upon this 
river, to be hurt by any persons without considering it 
was done to ourselves; so, the Governor of Virginia 
k)oks upon the injuries done to his Indian brothers and 
friends as if they were done to himself; and you very 
well know that though you are five different nations, yet 
you. are but one people, so as tlicit any wrong done t$> 



IQ4[ HISTORY OP 

our nation is received as an injury done to all. In the- 
same manner, and much more so it is with the English,, 
who are all united under one Great King, who has. 
more people in that one town where he lives, than all 
the Indians in North America put together. 

You are in a league with New York as your ancient 
friends and nearest neighbors, and you are in a league 
with us by treaties often repeated, and by a chain which 
you have now brightened. As therefore all the English 
are but one people, you are actually in league with all 
the English Governments, and must equally preserve 
the peace with all as with one Government. 

You pleased me very much when you told me that 
you were going to treat with the Governor of Virginia. 
Your nations formerly entered into a firm league with 
that Government, and if you have suffered that chain to 
grow rusty it is time to scour it; and the Five 
Nations have done very wisely to send you there for that 
purpose. 

I do assure you, the Governor of Virginia, is a great 
and good man. He loves the Indians as his children, 
and so protects and defends them, for he is very strong, 
havmg many thousand christian warriors under his com- 
mand, whereby he is able to assist all those who are in 
any league of friendship with him. Hasten, therefore, 
my friends, to brighten and strengthen the chain with that 
great man; for he desires it, and will receive you kindly. 
He is my great and good friend; I have been lately 
with him. And since you say you are strangers, I will 
give you a letter to him to inform him of v/hat we have 
done, and of the good design of your visit to him and to 
his country. 

My friends and brothers, I told you a few days ago, 
that we must, open our breasts to^ each other; I shall, 



LANCASTER COUIfTT. 165 

Iherefre, like your true friend, open mine yet further to 
you for your good. 

You see that the English, from a very small people at 
first, are by peace amongst themselves, become a very 
gl'eat people amongst you, far exceeding the number of 
all the Indians that we know of. But while we are at 
peace, the Indians continue to make war upon one 
another, and destroy each other, as if they intended that 
aonc of their people should be left alive; by which 
means you are, from a great people, become a very 
small people, and yet you will go on to destroy 
yourselves. 

The Indians of the south, though they speak a 
different language, yet they are the same people, and 
inhabit the same land with those of the north, we there- 
fore cannot but wonder how you, that are a wise people, 
should take delight in putting an end to your race : the 
English, being your true friends, labor to prevent this. — 
We would have you strong as a part of ourselves ; for 
gts our strength is your strength, so we would have yours 
to be as our own. 

I have persuaded all my brethren in these parts to 
consider what is for your good, and not to go out any 
more to war ; but your young men, as they come this 
way, endeavor to force them, and because they incline to 
follow the counsels of peace and advice of their true 
friends, your people use them ill and often prevail with 
them to go out to their own destruction. Thus it was 
tliat this town of Conestogoe, lost their good King not 
long ago, and thus many have been lost. Their young 
children are left without parents, their wives without 
husbands, the old men, contrary to the course of nature, 
mourn the death of their young, the people decay and 



HISTORY OP 16d 

grow weak, we lose our dear friends and are afflicted, 
and this is chiefly owing to your young men. 

Surely you cannot suppose to get either riches or 
possessions by going thus out to war; for when you kill 
a deer you have the flesh to eat and the skin to sell, but 
when you return from war you bring nothing home but 
the scalp of a dead man, who, perhaps, was husband to 
a kind wife, and father to tender children, who never 
wronged you, though by losing him you have robbed 
them of this help and protection, and at the same time 
got nothhig by it. 

If I were not your true friend, I Avould not take the^ 
trouble of saying all these things to you, which I desire 
may be fully related to all your people, when you return 
home, that they may consider in time what is for their 
own good; and after this, if any will be so madly deaf 
and blind as neither to hear nor see the danger before 
tliem, but will still go out to destroy and be destroyed for 
nothing, I must desire that foolish young men will take 
another path, and not pass this way amongst our people, 
whose eyes I have opened and they have wisely hearkened 
to my advice. So that I must tell them plainly, as I am 
tlieir best friend, and this Government is their protector, 
and as a father to them. We will not suffer them 
any more to go out as they have done to their destruc- 
tion. I say again, we will not suffer it, for we have the 
counsel of wisdom amongst us, and know what is for 
their good; for though they are weak, yet they are our 
brethren. We will therefore take care of them that they 
are not misled with ill council; you mourn when you- 
lose a brother, we mourn when any of them are 
lost; to prevent which, they shall not be suffered to go, 
out a^ they have done to be destroyed by war.. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 167 

My good friends and brothers, I give you the same 
counsel, and earnestly desire that you will follow it^ 
since it will make you a happy people. I give you this 
advice, because I am your true friend, but I much fear 
you hearken to others who never were nor never will bo 
your friends. You kno vv very well that the French have 
been your enemies from the beginning, and though they 
were at peace with you about two and twenty years 
ago, yet by subtle practices they still endeavor to ensnare 
you. They use arts and tricks, and tell you lies to 
deceive you, and if you would make use of your own 
eyes, and not be deluded by their Jesuits and inter- 
preters, you would see this yourselves; for, you Imow, 
they have had no goods of any value, these several 
years past, except what has been sent to them from the 
English, of New York, and that is now all over. They 
give fair speeches instead of real services, and as for 
many years they attempted to destroy you in war, so 
they now endeavor to do it in peace; for when they 
persuade you to go out to war against others, it is only 
that you may be destroyed yourselves, while we, as 
your true friends, labor to prevent, because we would 
have your numbers increased that you may grow strong, 
and that we may be all strengthened in friendship and 
peace together. 

As to what you have said of trade, I suppose the 
great distance at which you live from us has prevented 
all commerce between us and your people. We believe, 
those who go into the woods and spend all their lime 
upon it, endeavor to make the best bargains they can for 
themselves; so, on your part, you must take care to 
make the best bargain you can with them, but we hope 
our traders do not exact, for we think that a stroud coat, 
or a pound of powder is now sold for no more buck- 



168 -HISTORY OP 

skins than formerly; beaver, indeed, is not of late so 
much used in Europe, and therefore does not give so 
good a price, and we deal but veiy little in that 
commodity. But deer-skins sell very well amongst us, 
and I shall always take care that the Indians be not 
wronged, but expect other measures be taken to regulate 
the Indian trade every where ; the common methods used 
in trade will still be followed, and every man must talce 
care of himself, for thus I must do myself, when I buy 
any thing from our own people, if I do not give them 
their price, they will keep it, for we are a free people.^ — 
But if you have any further proposals to make about 
these affairs, I am willing to hear and consider them,, 
for it is my desire that the trade be well regulated to 
your content 

I am sensible rum is very hurtful to the Indians; we 
have made laws that none should be carried amongst 
them, or if any were, that it should be staved and thrown 
upon the ground; and the Indians have been ordered to 
destroy all the rum that comes in their way; but they 
will not do it, they will have rum, and when we refiias 
it, they will travel to the neighboring provinces and 
fetch it ; their own women go to purchase it, and then 
sell it amongst their own people at excessive rates. I 
would gladly make any laws to prevent this that could 
be effectual, but the country is so wide, the woods are sd 
dark and private, and so far out of my sight, that if the 
Indians themselves do not prohibit their own people, 
there is no other v/ay to prevent it ; for my part, I shall 
readily join in any measures that can be proposed for ao 
good a purpose. 

I have now, my friends and brothers, said all 
that I think can be of any service at this time, and I 
gwe you these things here laid before you to confirm my 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 169 

words, viz : five siroud coats, twenty pounds of powder, 
and forty pounds of lead, for each of the Five Nations ; 
that is, twenty-five coats, one hundred weight of powder, 
and two hundred of lead, in the whole, which I desire 
may be delivered to them, with these my words in my 
name and the behalf of the province. 

I shall be glad frequently to see some of your chief 
men sent in the name of all the rest, but desire you will 
be so kind as to come to us to Philadelphia to visit our 
families and children born there, where we can provide 
better for you and make you more welcome ; for people 
always receive their friends best at their own houses. — 
I heartily wish you well on your journey and good 
success on it. And when you return home, I desire you 
will give my very kind love, and the love of all our 
people, to your kings and to all their people. 

Then the Governor rose up from his chair, and when 
he had called Ghesaont, the speaker to him, he took a 
coronation medal of the King's out of his pocket, and 
presented it to the Indians, in these words: 

That our children, when we are dead, may not forget 
these things, but keep this treaty between us in perpetual 
remembrance, I here deliver you a picture in gold, 
bearing the image of my great master, the King of all 
the English ; and when you return home I charge you to 
deliver this piece into the hands of the first man or 
greatest chief of all the Five Nations, whom you call 
Kannygoodk, to be laid up and kept as a token to your 
children's children, that an entire and lasting friendship is 
now established forever between the English, in this 
country, and the great Five Nations." 

By the approbation and direction of Gov. Keith, James 
Logan, secretary, held a discourse with Ghesaont, on the 
0th ef July. Logan reminded Ghesaent ef the great 

15 



170 HISTORY OP 

satisfaction the Governor had expressed to him in th0 
council upon their kind visit, and the freedom and 
openness that had been used to them on our parts, and 
therefore advised him if he had any thing in his thoughts 
further relating to the friendship established between us 
and the matters treated in council, he would open his 
breast in this free conversation, and speak it without 
reserve, and whatever he said on those heads should be 
reported faithfully to the Governor. 

Ghesaont then said, that he was very well pleased 
with what had been spoken. He saw the Governor and 
the English were true friends to the Five Nations, but as 
to their young people going out to war, which we 
chiefly insisted on ; the principal reason was that their 
young men were become very poor, they could get no 
goods nor clothing from the English, and therefore they 
went abroad to gain them from their enemies. That 
they had once a clear sky and sunshine at Albany, but 
now all was overcast ; they could no longer trade and 
and get goods as they had done, of which he could not 
know the reason, and therefore they had resolved to 
try whether it was the same among the other English 
Governments. 

To which Logan answered, that they had from the 
first settlement of New York and Albany, been in a strict 
league and friendship with that Government, and had 
always had a trade with and been supplied by them 
with goods they wanted. That it was true, for three or 
four years past, the French had come from Canada to 
Albany, in New York, and purchased and carried away 
great part of the goods, strovv^d waters, especially, 
sometimes three or four hundred pieces in a year, which 
the Five Nations ought to have had; but that now, 
another Governor being lately sent thither, from the 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 171 

great King of England; he made a law that the 
French should not have any more goods from the 
English ; that this had been the reason of the clouds and 
dark weather they complained of; but that now a clear 
sunshine, as they desired, would be restored to them - 
that he very well kncvw this gentleman, the new 
Governor, that he had not long since been at Philadel- 
phia, and at his (the secretary's) house, and that he 
heard him say he would take care his Indians should 
be well supplied for the future, and accordingly they 
might depend on it. 

Ghesaont hereupon asked, whether they did not know 
that the French had for some years past, had the cloths 
from the English, answered, that they knew very well 
that these English goods went now in a new path, 
different from that they had formerly gone in, that they 
knew not where they went, but they went beside them 
and they could not get hold of them, though they much 
wanted them. 

The secretary proceeded to say, that as New York and 
Albany had been their most ancient friends, so they 
could best supply them, and they could certainly do it, if 
they continued in duty on their part; that they were 
sensible the great King of England had a regard for 
them, by the notice that he took of them almost every 
year ; that all the English, every where, were friends. — 
We were now very glad to see them, but wished for the 
future they would come to Philadelphia, as they 
formerly used to do; that he himself had seen their 
chiefs twice at Philadelphia^ the two years that William 
Penn was last here, and that when his son came over 
about three years after,, now about seventeen years ago, 
a considerable number of them came down and held a 
great eouiicil^ with us, aad therefore he hoped they^ 



172 HISTORY OP 

would visit us then again, which would be much more 
convenient than so far back in the woods where it was 
difficult to accommodate them and ourselves, that, how- 
ever, we were glad to see them here. This they knew 
was a Government but lately settled, but that they were 
now going into two Governments that had been much 
longer seated, and were very rich, and would make them 
exceedingly welcome; that we saw them in the woods 
only, at a great distance from home, but they would see 
tlie Governors of Virginia and Maryland, at their own 
towns and houses, where they would entertain them 
much better; that they would be very kindly received, 
for we were all of one heart and mind, and should 
always entertain them as our brothers. 

Ghesaont took an opportunity of himself to enter again 
on the subject of their people making peace with the 
other Indians on the main. He said that he had in his 
own person labored for it to the utmost ; that he had 
taken more pains to have it established than all the 
English had done; that their people had lately made 
peace with the Tweuchtwese; that they had now a 
universal peace with all the Indians, excepting three 
small nations to the southward, with whom they hoped 
to have concluded upon his present journey by means of 
the Governor of Virginia; that his own desires were 
very strong for peace, as his endeavors had shewn, and 
that he doubted not to see it established every where. — 
He said the Governor had spoken veiy well in the coun- 
cil against their young men going to war, yet had not 
done it fully enough, for he should have told them 
positively that they should not on any account be 
suffered to go out to war, and he would have reported 
it accordingly, and this would have been a more 
effectual way to prevent them. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 173 

The secretary then proceeded to treat with them about 
the road they were to take, ^nd it was agreed that the chief 
of the Nanticokes, a sensible man, who was then present,, 
should conduct them from Conestogoe to their town, on 
Wye river, that they should be furnished with provi- 
sions for their journey sufficient to carry them among the 
inhabitants, after which they were directed, as the 
Governor had before ordered, that they should produce 
his passport to the gentlemen of the country Avhere they 
travelled, by whom they would be provided for ; and the 
Nanticoke chief was further desired, upon their leaving 
the Nanticoke towns, to direct them to some of the chief 
gentlemen and officers of those posts w^ho would un- 
doubtedly take care of them on sight of these passports, 
and thereby knowing their business, have them trans- 
ported over the bay of Annapolis. Being further asked 
how they would get an interpreter to Virginia where 
the Indians know nothing of their language, and some 
proposals being made to furnish them, they answered, 
there would be no occasion for any care of that kind, for 
they very well knew the Governor of Virginia had an 
interpreter of their language always with him. 

Provisions being then ordered for their journey, as also 
at their desire, some for those of their company, who 
with their women and children were to return directly 
home by water up the river Susquehanna, viz: a bag ot 
biscuit, some pieces of bacon and dried venison ; these 
matters were concluded with great expressions of 
thankfulness for the Governor's great care of them 
and their families, which kindness they said they never 
shoiiki fcffget. 

The discourse being continued, they were told it was 
now very near, viz: within one moon of thirty-seven. 
years since a great man of England, Governor of Vir- 

15* 



174 HISTORY OP 

ginia, called the Lord Effingham, together with Colonel 
Dongan, Governor of New York, held a treaty 
with them at Albany, of which we had the writings to 
this day. 

Ghesaont answered, they knew it well, and the sub- 
jects of that treaty, it was, he said about settling of 
lands. Bemg fmlher told, that in that treaty the Five 
Nations had given up all their right to all the lands on 
Susquehanna to the Duke of York, then brother to the 
King of England. He acknowledged this to be so, and 
that WiUiam Penn since had the rights of these lands. — 
To which Civility, a descendant of the ancient Sasque- 
hamiah Indians, the old settlers of these parts, but now 
reputed as of an Iroquois descent, added that he had 
been informed by their old men, that they were troubled, 
when they heard that their lands had been given up to a. 
place so far distant as New York, and that they were 
overjoyed when they miderstood William Pemi had 
brought them back again, and that they had confirmed, 
all theii- right to him. 

Divers questions were further asked him, especially 
concerning the French of Canada, their trade and fortifi- 
cations, on wiiich he said that the French had tlu-ee forts 
on this side the river of St. Lawrence, and between their 
towns and INIentual, furnished with great numbers of 
great guns, that the French drove a great trade with 
them, had people constantly in, or going to and coming 
from their towns, that the French kept young people in 
their tov/ns on purpose to learn the Indian language, 
which many of them now spoke as well as themselves ; 
that they had a great intercourse with them, that about 
thiee hundred of their men, viz : of the Five Nations, 
were seated on the other side of the great river, that the 
French had this last spring begun to build or to provida 



LANCASTKR COrXTT. 175 

for building a fort at Niagara Falls, but they had since 
declined it ; he knew not for what reasons ; and they 
(the French) had sent to his town (the Isanandonas) this 
last winter a great deal of powder to be distributed 
among them, but nothing was done upon iL Being 
particularly asked whether the French had ever treated 
with tliem about any of their lands, or whether the 
Idians had ever granted the French any* He answered, 
no ! tliat his people knew the French too well to treat 
with diem about lands ; they had never done it, or ever 
gi'anted them any upon any account whatsoever, and of 
this he said, we might assure ourselves. Thus the day 
was spent in such discourses, with a pipe and some 
small mixed liquors, and the next morning Ghesaont, 
with the rest of his company, returning from the Indian 
town to John Cartledge, took their leaves very affec. 
tionately, with great expressions of thankfulness to the 
Governor and this Government for their kind receptioiL" 
Siiortly after the treaty held at Conestoga, the Go- 
vernor received mforniaUon that the Indians were likely 
to be disturbed by the secret and miderhanded practices 
a{ persons, both from INIarj'land and Philadelphia, who, 
under tlie pretence of finding a copper mine, were about 
to survey and take up lands on the other side of the Sus-. 
quehannah, contrary to a former order of Government; 
Keith determined to prevent this. He not only sent a 
special messenger with a writ under the lesser seal, but 
himself went to the upper parts of Chester county to 
locate a small quantity of land, for which he purchased 
an original proprietaiy right ; on his v/ay, he understood 
that some persons were actually come with a Mary land 
7-ighJ: to survey lands upon the Susquehamia, fifteen 
miles above Conestoga; he pursued his course directly 
to that place, and fortunately arrived but a very 



176 HISTORY OF 

few ho^urs in tune to prevent the execution of their 
design. 

"Having/* says Keith, "the Surveyor General of this 
province with me in company, after a Uttle consideration, 
I ordered him to locate and survey some part of the right 
I possessed, viz : only five hundred acres upon that spot 
on the other side of Susquehanna, which was likely to 
prove a bone of contention, and breed so much mischief, 
and he did so accordingly, upon the 4th and 5th of April ; 
after which I returned to Conestoga to discourse with the 
Indians upon what happened ; but in my way thither, I 
was very much surprised with a certain account that the 
young men of Conestoga had made a famous war dance 
the night before, and that they were all going to war 
immediately; hereupon, I appointed a council to be held 
with the Indians next morning in Civility's cabin.'^ 

The particulars of this meeting were never recorded. 
But before long the Indians became considerably 
alarmed, at the proposed encroachments of the Mary- 
landers; Governor Keith, shortly afterwards, held a 
council with the Indians at Conestoga, June 15, 1722, to 
procure from them a grant to survey a tract of land, 
known by the name of '^Springett Manor, ^^ in York 
county. 

Closely connected with the Maryland intrusions as to 
time, an accoimt of which has been presented, the fears . 
of the people of the province were again awakened by 
a quarrel between two brothers, named Cartledge, and 
an Indian, named Saanteenee, near Conestoga, in which 
the latter was killed, with many circimistances of 
cruelty. 

The known principles of revenge, professed by the 
Indians, gave reason to apprehend severe retaliation. — 



LANCASTER COUNTY. V7T 

Policy and justice required a rigid inquiry, and the 
infliction of exemplary punishment."* 

The Governor sent James Logan and Colonel French, 
and the high sheriff of the county of Chester, who left 
Philadelphia, March 7th, and arrived at the house of 
John Cartledge, the 9th, to exrecute their commission, 
and to investigate the whole matter connected with the 
death of Saanteenee. 

They then proceeded to Conestoga, where they held a 
council the 14th day of March, 1721-22, with the Indians, 
viz: Civility, Tannacharoe, Gunnehatorooja, Toweena, 
and other old men of the Conestogoe Indians, Savannah, 
diief of the Shawanese, Winjack, chief of the Gana- 
wese, Tekaachroo, a Cayoogoe, Oweeyekanowa, Nosh- 
targhkamen, Dela wares. Present, divers English and 
Indians — the acusecl were arrested, and confined at 
Philadelphia. 

Great pains, says Proud, were taken in this affair; an 
Indian messenger, Satcheecho, was despatched to the 
Five Nations. The Governor, with two of the council, 
met and treated with the Five Nations, at Albany, 
respecting it; besides the presents, which were made to 
the Indians. " The Five Nations desired that the Cart- 
ledges should not suffer death; and the affair was at 
length amicably settled." "One life," said the Indian 
King, " on this occasion, is enough to be lost, there should 
not two die."t 

In a preceding page we stated that the Marylanders 
attempted encroachments on the lands within the limits 
of Pennsylvania. Keith wa» determined to resist them 
by farce*, he ordered out a company of militia, from 
New Castle, to march to Ouchteraro, (Octoraro), where 
they were to await his further orders. His councils^j 

* Gordon's Pa. 188. f Votes of Assembly. 



178 HISTORY OP 

however, who were disposed to resort to no violence^ 
even should the Marylanders employ force to gain their 
object, did not coincide with the Governor in these 
violent measures. The Indians had become greatly 
alarmed ; a council was held at Conestoga, on Friday 
and Saturday, the 15th and 16th June, 1722; when the 
Indians agreed, in order Governor Keith might have a 
better title to resist the Marylanders, that a large tract 
should be conveyed to him for the use of Springett 
Peim, grandson of William Penn, senior. 

The following is a copy of the minutes of the council, 
held at Conestoga: Present, Governor W. Keith, Colonel 
John French, Francis Worley, Esq.; the chiefs of the 
Conestogoe, Shawana and Ganaway Indians ; Smith, 
the Ganaway Indian, and James Le Tort, interpreters. 

The Governor spoke as follows : Friends and brothers, 
the belts which I lately received from the Five Nations, 
signify that they are on^ people with the English, and 
our very kind neighbors and friends. They invite me 
to come to them, and I purpose, in a short time, to go 
and meet them at Albany, and to make the chain as 
bright as the sun. When they see me, they will remem- 
ber their great friend William Penn; and then our 
hearts will be filled with love, and our councils with 
peace. 

Friends and brothers, you say you love me, because I 
come from your father, William Penn, to follow his 
ways, and to fulfil all his kind promises to the Indians. 
You call me William Penn, and I am proud of the name 
you give me. But if we have a true love for tlie 
memory of William Fenn, we must show it to his 
family and his children,, that are grown up to be men in 
England,, and will soon come over to represent him here. 
The last time I was with you at Conestogoe, you, 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 179 

showed me a parchment which you had received from 
Wilham Penn, containing many articles of friendship 
between him and you, and between his children and 
your children. You then told me, he desired you to 
remember it well for three generations ; but I hope you 
and your children will never forget it. That parchment 
fully declared your consent to William Penn's purchase 
and right to the lands on both sides of the Susquehanna. 
But I find both you and we are likely to be disturbed by 
idle people from Maryland, and also by others* who 
h ave presumed to survey on the banks of the Susque- 
hanna without any powers from William Penn or his 
children, to whom they belong, and without so much as 
asking your consent. I am therefore now come 
to hold a council and consult with you how to prevent 
such unjust practices for the future. And hereby we 
will show our love and respect for the great William 
Penn's children, who inherit their father's estate in this 
country, and have a just right to the hearty love and 
friendship of all the Indians, promised to them in many 
treaties. I have fully considered this thing; and if you 
approve my thoughts, I will immediately cause to be 
taken a large tract on the other side of Susquehanna, for 
the grandson of William Penn, who is now a man as 
tall as I am. For when the land is marked with his 
name upon the trees, it will keep off the Marylanders, 
and every other person whatsoever, from coming to 
settle near you to disturb you. And he bearing the 
same kind heart to the Indians which his grand-father 
did, will be glad to give you a part of his land for your 

*One John Grist and divers others, had, without warrants, or 
permission, settled their families, and taken up lands on the 
west side of the Susquehanna, prior to 1721.— CoZ. Rec. III. 
133. 



180 HISTORY OP 

own use and convenience ; but if other people take it 
up, they will make settlements upon it, and then 
it will not be in his power to give it you as you want it 
My friends and brothers, those who have any wisdom 
amongst you, must see and be convinced that what I 
now say is entirely for your good; for this will 
•effectually hinder and prevent any person from settling 
lands on the other side of Susquehanna, according to 
your desire ; and, consequently, you will be secure from 
being disturbed by ill neighbors, and will have all that 
land at the same time in your own power to make use 
of This will also beget a true hearty love and friend- 
ship between you, your children, and the great William 
Penn's grandson, who is now Lord of all this country 
in the room of his grand-father. It is therefore fit and 
necessary for you to begin as soon as you can to 
express your respect and love to him. He expects it 
from you according to your promises in many treaties, 
and he will take it very kindly. 

Consider, then, my brothers, that I am now giving you 
an opportunity to speak your thoughts lovingly and 
freely unto this brave young man, William Penn^s 
grand-son; and I, whom you know to be your true 
friend, will take care to write down your words, and to 
send them to England, to this gentleman, who will 
return you a kind answer ; and so many hearts will be 
made glad to see that great William Penn still lives in his 
children to love and serve the Indians. 

Council met on the 16th. The Indians rephed through 
Tatveriea, spokesman: They have considered af what 
the Governor proposed to them yesterday, and think it a 
matter of very great consequence to them to hinder the 
Marylanders from settling or taking up lands so near 
them upon Susquehanna. Tliey very much approve 



LANCASTER COUNTY. -181 

what the Governor spoke, and like his counsel to them 
very well; but they are not willing to discourse particu- 
larly on the business of land, lest the Five Nations may 
reproach or blame them. 

They declare again their satisfaction to them in coun- 
cil; and although they know <;hat the Five Nations have 
not any right to their lands, and that four of the towns 
do not belong to any, yet the fifth town, viz: the 
Cayugoes, are always claiming some right to the lands 
on the Susquehanna, even where they themselves live; 
wherefore they think it will be a proper time, when the 
Governor goes to Albany, to settle that matter with the 
Cayugoes, and then all parties will be satisfied. 

They asked the Governor whereabouts, and what 
quantity of land, does he propose to survey for Mr. 
Penn ? It is answered, from over against the mouth of 
Conestoga creek, up to the Governor's new settlement, 
and so far back from the river, as that no person can 
come to annoy or disturb them in their towns on this 
side. They proceed and say, that they are at this 
very apprehensive that people will come when the 
Governor is gone to Albany, and survey this land; 
wherefore they earnestly desire that the Governor will 
immediately cause the surveyor to come and lay out the 
land for William Penn's grand -son, to secure them ; and 
they doubt not but the Governor's appearance and con- 
duct afterwards at Albany, will make all things easy 
there."* 

Having obtained the consent from the Indians, the 
Governor issued his warrant, June 18th, and on the 19th 

*A congress of several Governors, of New York, Pennsyl* 
vania and Virginia, and commissioners were held in September- 
1722, with the Six Nations, at Albany ; and the ancient friend, 
ship was renewed, 

16 



182 HISTORY OP 

and 20th, June, Springettsbury Manor made by CoL 
John French, Francis Worley and James Mitchell.--- 
They had been directed, by the Governor, to take with 
them such of the neig^hboring inhabitants as they thotight 
fit to call to their assistance, immediately to cross the 
river Susquehanna, and to survey or cause to be sur- 
veyed, marked and located, the quantity of seventy 
thousand acres, or thereabouts.* 

There was a council held at Conoy town, July, 1722, 
ill Donegal township. James Mitchell, Esq. and Mr. 
James Le Tort, were desired to be present with the 
chiefs of the Conestogoes, Sawaneis, and Conoys, 
together with seven chief men of the Nanticoke Indians, 
who were upon a journey to the Five Nations, in order 
to renew former friendship, and strengthen it in miity for 
time to come. Anxious to make the best of their 
journey, they determined upon having the best inter- 
preter they could find at Conoy town, they made appli- 
cation to Captain Smitii, to accompany them; but in 
consequence of having engaged to accompany Governor 
Keith to Albany, in August, he declined. Mr. Mitchell 
hastened to inform Governor Keith of the presence of 
the Nanticokes, who were a peaceable people, and 
lived quietly amongst the English, in Maryland. 

About the year 1723, a number of Germans, lately 
from Schoharie, New York, settled on the Swatara and 
Tulpehocken creeks. It may be interesting to readers to 
know how these Germans came to Tulpehocken. 

On a proclamation of Queen Anne, of England, 1708, 
some three or four thousand Germans went in 1709, to 
Holland, and were thence transported to England. — 

*Col. Rec. III. 195. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 1S3 

They encamped near London. In 1710, Col. Nicholson, 
and Colonel Schuyler, accompanied by five sachems or 
Indian chiefs, returned from America to England, to 
solicit additional force against Canada.* While in 
London, the chiefs of the confederated Indians saw the 
miserable condition of the Germans, and commiserating 
their case, one of them voluntarily presented the Queen 
a tract of his land in Schoharie, New York, for the use 
and benefit of the Germans.! About this time. Colonel 
Robert Hunter, appointed Governor of New York, 
sailing for America, brought with him about three 
thousand of these Germans or Palatines, to the town of 
New York, where they encamped several months, and 
in the fall of 1710, were moved, at the Queen's expense, 
to Livingston District. In this wilderness home, it was 
allotted them, that they should manufacture tar and raise 
hemp to repay freightage, from Holland to England, 
and thence to New York.! In this business, they were 
unsuccessful. However, they were released of all 
freightage upon them in 1713. About one hundred and 
fifty of the families, willing to avail themselves of the 
advantages of their present from the Indians to Queen 
Anne, moved through a dense forest, to Schoharie, west 
of Albany, and seated themselves among their Maqua 
or Mohawk friends. Here their sufferings, for a while, 
were great ; they were deprived of nearly all the neces- 
saries of life. Their neighbors, like Indians, " are wont 

*His. N. Y. 39, Holmes, An. I. 501. 

fHallische Nachrichten, 973—981 

JDiese Teutche Colonie solte Theer brennen und Hanf 
bauen, fuer Erstattung ihrer Fracht von Holland bis England, 
und von da bis nacU Neuyork.— //. M, MueUeriberg^ Hal, 
Nach. p. 974. 



184 HISTORY OF 

not to do^^ — ^laid up no stores from which they could 
supply the wants of their white brethren — depending^ 
entirely upon Nature's store-house ; believing that their 
hands were not made to labor with, but to have rule 
over the birds of the air, the fishes of the stream^ 
and the game in Nature's park. 

In Schoharie, having permission from the Indians, this 
colony commenced, under discouraging circumstances, 
improving lands and building houses. They labored 
for ten years, when they were dispersed; and in 1723, a 
portion of them, surrounded by difficulties in travelling, 
rising of tiiree hundred miles, seated themselves, some 
eighty or ninety miles from Philadelphia, at Swatara and 
Tulpehocken.* Among this number were the Weisers,t 
whose descendants are numerous and respectable ; these 
are the Muhlenbergs and others. 

*HaUische Nachrichten. 

fConrad Weiser, who remained in New York, when his 
father came here in 1723, arrived at Tulpehocken in 1729. In 
a subsequent page the reader will find a notice of C. W, 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 135 



CHAPTER V. 



Donegal township organized — First settlers — Harris's attempt to settle at 
Oonoy — Settles at Paxton — Settlement commenced by Barber, Wright 
and Blunston — Settlements back from the river — Reamstown settlement 
— Welsh settlement — Weber's Thai settled — Settlement at Sacuc 
Schwamm, or New Holland — Germans misrepresented — Committee 
appointed to inquire into the facts ; makes report — Thomas Wright killed 
by the Indians — Inhabitants of the upper part of Chester county 
alarmed — Governor Gordon goes to Conestoga and holds a treaty with 
the Indians — Returns to Philadelphia — Note ; Iron Works. 

As the population of the county increased, it was found 
necessary to organize new townships. Donegal was 
organized in the year 1722, and David Jones appointed 
constable. The first settlers of Donegal were principally 
Irish emigrants; they were the Semples, Pattersons, 
Mitchells, Hendrickses, Speers, Galbraiths, Andersons, 
^otts, Lowreys, Pedans, Porters, Sterrits, Kerrs, Works, 
Litles, Whitehills, Campbells, and others. James 
Mitchell and James Hendricks, were justices of the 
peace. Many of the lineal descendants, of the first 
settlers, are still the owners of their ancestor's first 
possessions. 

John Harris, a native of Yorkshire, who commenced, 
after\A^ards, a settlement at Paxton, first made an attempt 
to settle near the mouth of Conoy creek, not far from the 
present site of Bainbridge. Harris did not think this a 
propitious spot ; for, it appears, this place was fre- 
quented by more northern Indians, on their southern 
excursions, Avhich excited considerable alarm.* Go- 
vernor Spottswood, of Virginia, in a letter to* the 
Governor of Pennsylvania, says: "A number of Penn- 

*CoI. Rec. HI. 53—90. 

16* 



186 HISTORY OF 

sylvania Indians, while on their return from the south, 
when they had committed several robberies and out- 
rages, stopped at Conoytown, May 20 , 1,719, and while 
there, the Indians sent for John Cartledge, Esq. — On his 
arrival, they sat doim before him in a gi^and council of 
war, produced fifteen prisoners, bade him discourse with 
two of them that spoke English. Cartledge found they 
were natives of Virginia; he interceded for their lives 
and liberties ; but the Indians turned a deaf ear to his 
entreaties, and gave him to understand, that they 
intended to continue in their dire perpetrations of out- 
rages upon the Virginians, declaring, they had made a 
clear path tp pass and repass, to and from the southward, 
having removed all obstacles out of the way, and that 
they expected to have free recourse for their people 
amongst the English plantations, whilst they were 
making war."* The apprehension of insecurity may 
have influenced Harris to abandon this place, and locate 
at Paxton. 

John Harris, the first vv^hite settler at Paxton, the 
present site of Harrisburg, ^^experienced much difficulty 
at his first settlement, as his supplies had to be trans- 
ported on horses, a great distance. He was an extensive 
Indian trader; and he was also the first person who 
introduced the plough on the Susquehanna, within the 
present limits of Dauphin county. 

His son John, the founder of Hamsburg, is said to 
have been born at the present site of Harrisburg or im- 
mediately below it, in 1726 ; and he is also said to have 
been the first white child born in Pennsylvania, west 
of the Conewago Hills. He died in 1791, aged 65 
y«ars." 

*Col. Rec.III. 79. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 187 

^' An incident in the life of John Harris, the elder, has 
excited considerable interest^, and been the subject of 
much inquiry. On one occasion, a band of Indians, who 
had b^en down the river, or, as is said, to the east, on a 
trading excursion, came to his house — some, or most of 
them,, were intoxicated — they asked for him, meaning 
West India rum, as the modern whiskey was not then 
manufactured in Pennsylvania. Seeing they were 
already intoxicated, he feared mischief, if he gave them 
more, and he refused. They became enraged, and 
seized and tied him. to the Mujberry tree to burn him. — 
Whilst they were proceeding to execute their purpose, 
he was released, after a struggle, by other Indians of the 
neighborhood, who generally came across the river. — 
How the alarm was given to them, whether by firing a 
gun or otherwise, or by whom, is not certainly known. — . 
In remembrance Qf this event, he afterwards directed 
that on his. death he should be buried under the Mul- 
berry tree, which had been the scene of this adventure. 
Part of the trunk of this tree, is still standing. It is ten 
feet high, up to the lowest limbs, and the stump is eleven 
feet six inches in circumference.^' 

John Harris, died about 1 74,8^T-probably in December,* 
and was buried where he had directed — under the shade of 
his own memorable tree — and there his remains still 
repose, with those of some of his children, The title to 
the grave yard, to the extent of fifteen feet square, is 
secured by conveyance from the commissioners who 
laid out the town. In the words of Parson Elder. 
who knew John Harris, well, '^He was as honest a 
man, as ever broke bread.^^ 

A settlement was commenced in 1726, on the Susque- 
hanna, south of the Chiques Hil], by Robert Barber, 

*EsQ. Geo. W. Harris' letter, dated August 10, 1843, 



18S HISTORY OP 

John WrighJ and Samuel Bliinston, Quakers. The first 
mentioned took up and purchased one thousand acres, 
hounded by the Chiques Hill on the north, and extending 
down the Susquehanna to the present site of Columbia. 
Having his warrant, Mr. Barber returned to Chester, and 
in 1727, in company with John Wright and Samuel 
Blunston, and famihes, came and settled on the land he 
had purchased. Samuel Blunston took five htmdred 
acres, adjoining the Chiques Hill, and built a house 
where Mr. S. B. Heise now resides. He died without 
issue, and his estate descending to collateral heirs, is 
now held by the Misses Bethel. 

John Wright, (who had come from Lancashire, Eng- 
land, to Chester county, on the Delaware river, in 1714,) 
took two hundred and fifty acres of the land lying south, 
and immediately belov/ Blunston's, and built where the 
Messrs. Weights now reside. Two large Walnut trees, 
of the English species, planted by him more than one 
hundred years ago, continue to designate the place 
of his first improvement. Kis descendants continue 
to reside in Columbia, and hold part of the first 
purchase. 

These three gentlemen were active and enterprising 
and useful citizens. Their names are intimately asso- 
ciated with all the earlier transactions of Lancaster 
county, as will appear from the sequel of our History. 

" WTien they first settled here, and for some time, says 
William Wright, grandson of John Wright, in a letter* 
to George Ford, Esq., they had to depend on the Darby 
Mills for flour, which tliey carried on pack-horses 
through the woods along an Indian path to the Susque- 
hanna. The Indians, who were very good neighbors, 
and the only ones tliey had, often supplied them with 

*Datcd Columbia, 2 mo. 25, 1842. 



LANCASTER COUXTY. 189 

game ; in return, they looked for nothing but bread and 
milk, of which they were very fpnd. When their supply 
of flour run low, they had to hide their bread. The 
Indians had no idea of any thing being withheld; 
whilst either party had it, all should partake." The 
descendants of these pioneers still reside in the county. 
This settlement ^on attracted the attention of others. — 
Repugnant as they are in feelings, the Irish and Germans 
soon afterwards established themselves as neighbors, 
living on terms of ii>timacy for a while. In newly 
settled countries all is sociability, and perfect friendship 
prevails. Former distinct nationalities are not cherished; 
yet never forgotten. German and Irish are opposites. 

The land back from the river was settled principally 
by Germans: Forrys, Stricklers, Garbers, and others.^- 
Their first purchase was, it is said, from an old woman 
named Mary Ditcher,'' who used to go through the 
country making what was called improvements — a few 
sticks piled together, a fire kindled, and a pot hung over 
it, constituted a first right. Those who could pay for the 
land had first choice, but these improvements were 
generally bought for a trifle by those able to pay for the 
lands. 

This old Mary Ditcher seems to have been rather a 
singular personage. She is described as wandering 
through the woods, leading an old horse, her only 
property, with her knitting in her hand, and clad in a 
garment chiefly of sheep-skin. 

Hempfield township was so called from the great quan- 
tity of hemp raised there. Manor, from lands reserved by 
the proprietors. The settlers adjoining Barber's and 
Wright's, were Irish families, named Patton, who gave 
name to the hill and the current below, called Patton's 

♦Haz. Reg. IX. 113. 



190 HISTORY OF 

current. It has been said there was once a great 
slaughter of the Indians at that place, by a party of 
cruel men, headed by a person named Bell. In the 
neighborhood were many places said to be graves of the 
Indians, and it was believed that a piece of cannon lay 
sunk in the current. Below this, the settlers were 
Geraians: Stinemans, Kauffmans, Herrs, Rupleys. — 
The township (where Wright first settled) above, was 
called Donegal by the Irish settlers, Andersons, Cooks, 
Tates, Kays. 

In the noith-eastern part of the county, a settlement 
was commenced about the year 1723 or 4, by Everhard 
Ream, whose descendants still reside in the village called 
after the first settler and proprietor. This place, like many 
others, was occupied solely by the Indians, at the time 
Mr. Ream located here. He ventured with his wagon 
and horse into the woods, where he unloaded his '-''fix- 
tures and furniture,^^ under a large oak tree that 
spread its extended boughs over him and his small 
family till he had put up a rude hut of logs, which he 
built upon what is now Lesher's farm. His nearest mill 
was on the Brandy wine, and his nearest neighbors, the 
Mulbachers, then living on Mill creek. After clearing a 
small spot, he procured a warrant and located about 
four hundred acres; afterwards, in 1725, received a 
patent for the same. 

Some of his first or early neighbors, who had been 
attracted by the improved spot and fine water, were 
Bucher, Huber, Walter, Keller, Schwarzwalder, Leader, 
Schneider, Killion, Dock, Forney, Rupp, Balmer, 
May, Mayer, Ilahn, Resler, Beyer, Leet, Schlott, Graf, 
Wolf, Feierstein, Weidman, and others. 

At the very infancy of the Pennsylvania colony, a 
number of Welsh, of sterling worth and excellent charac- 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 191 

ter, arrived ill the province in 16S2. "They had early 
purchased of the proprietary, in England, forty thousand 
acres of land, and settled west of the Schuylkill, In a 
few years their number was so much augmented, that 
they had settled^ before 1692, six townships in the lower 
counties. 

The Welsh custom, and that of the Swiss and Pala- 
tines, in settling new countries, were similar in many 
respects. At first they would send persons across the 
Atlantic, to take up land for them, and made some 
preparations for the reception of their families. Among 
the Welsh, who acted as pioneer, was the well known 
Rowland Ellis, who sent over Thomas Owen and lamily 
to make a settlement, and as soon as Owen had made 
some improvements, in which he spent a few years, 
Ellis, and one hundred other Welsh passengers, arrived 
in 16S6. 

In 16 93, other Welsh families arrived; among whom 
were William Jones, Thomas Evans, Robert Evans, 
Owen Evans, Cadwallader Evans, Hugh Griffitli, 
Edward Foulke, Johii Humphrey, Robert Jones, and 
others, who purchased ten thousand acres of land 
of Robert Turner, in Guinedd township, Chester 
county. 

Another settlement was commenced, about the year 
1722 or 3, by the Welsh, extending up as far as to the 
present site of Churchtown. Among the principal 
settlers vv'ere Torbet, Douglas, E. Davis, A. Billing, Z. 
Davis, Spenger, Henderson, Evans, Ford, Lardner, 
Morgan, Robinet, Edwards, Jenkins. 

While the Welsh were making improvements, a few 
miles south of Allegany;* a region on the Tulpehocken, 

*The country along Alleghany creek, a small stream v/hich 
enters Tulpehocken, is still known by that name. 



192 HISTORY OP 

some Swiss and Germans settled in Weher Thai, south 
of Conestoga creek, so called from the Webers, or 
Weavers, who took up between two and three thousand 
acres of land, in 1723 or 4. George Weber and Hans 
Guth, brothers-in-law, Jacob Weber and Henry Weber, 
all Swiss, were the first settlers contiguous to the 
Welsh. Guth located north-east from the Webers. — 
The plain, or thai, was timberless when the first settlers 
commenced. Guth or Good settled in Brecknock town- 
ship, where a numerous connexion of them reside. 

The Webers and Guths had, previous to taking up 
land here, lived some twelve or fifteen years near 
Lancaster. They were a young family, seeking a place 
of permanent abode, where they have since become 
both wealthy and numerous.* George, the oldest of the 
three brothers, had three sons and two daughters : Hans, 
Henry, Samuel, Maria and Magdalena. The present 
generation of Weavers still possess the lands of their 
ancestors. Some of them have moved to the ''Far 
IVestp others to Canada. The Webers were soon 

*The following, v/hich we copied at the house of Samuel 
Weaver, in 1842, may give the reader some idea of the 
mumerical strength of the family. Christian Weaver's father 
was a native of Switzerland. 

Christian Weaver was born in Earl township, Lancaster 
county, Pa. Dec 25, 1731— married Sept. 30, 1749, to Miss 
Magdalen Ruth — lived 55 years in a state of matrimony, and 
16 years as a widower. He was a member of the Mennonite 
church. Died of a lingering disease, Feb. 13, 1820, aged 88 
years, 1 month, 1 week and 2 days. Had eight sons and 
five daughters. Of the seven sons and five daughters were 
born, before C. W's. death, and living at the time, 99 grand- 
children, 88 grand children's children, and 55 great grand 
chilhren's children. His lineal descendants were 309. Henry 
.Martin preached his funeral discourse. Text, John, 14, 12, 13. 



LAIS'CASTEB. COUNTS. 193 

joined by the Martins, Schneders, Millers, Zimmermans, 
Ruths, and many others, principally Mennonites. 

During the year 1727, rising of one thousand Pala- 
tines arrived in Pennsylvania; among these were the 
Dieffenderfers, Ekmans, Meyers, Bowmans, Eberlees, 
Zugs, Shultzes, Funks, Frans, and others, v/hose 
descendants constitute a portion of the inhabitants of 
Lancaster county.* Two brothers, Alexander and John 
Dieffenderfer, sailed from Rotterdam,! arrived at Phila- 
delphia in the month of September ; Alexander settled in 
Oley, now Berks county, and John at Saeue Schwamm, 
now New Holland, hi the woods. His grand-son, 
David, son of Michael Dieffenderfer, now in his ninety- 
second year,:j: informed us that his grand-father's house- 

*They were of those who first subscribed a "writing, de- 
claring their allegiance to the King of Great Britain, and 
ndelity to the proprietary of the province." The paper wad 
drawn up in these words : "We, subscribers, natives and late 
inhabitants of the Palatinate upon the Rhine, and places adja- 
cent, having transported ourselves and families into this 
province of Pennsylvania, a colony subject to the Crown of 
Oreat Britain, in hopes and expectation of finding a retreat 
and peaceable settlement therein, do solemnly promise and 
engage, that we will be faithful and bear true allegiance to his 
present Majesty, King George the Second, and his suc- 
cessors. Kings of Great Britain, and will be faithful to the 
Proprietor of this province ; and that we will demean our- 
selves peaceably to all his said majesty's subjects, and strictly 
observe and conform to the laws of England and of this 
province, to the utmost of our power and best of our under- 
standing." 

fThey sailed in the Ship Wilham and Sarah, William Hill, 
master. There were ninety Palatine families, making in all 
about 400 persons, in this ship. — Col. Rec. III. 390. 

|See a brief sketch of his public life, at the close of this 
■chapter. 

17 



194 HISTORY OB' 

hold goods were brought from Philadelphia, by one 
Martin, and unloaded under an Oak tree. In the course 
of a few days after their arrival, a hut or cabin was 
erected by the aid of the neighbors, who were kind; and 
the goods snugly housed, and the family comfortably 
situated. Michael, David's father, was then a child. 

The neighbors were attentive in relieving their wants, 
and supplying them with necessaries. Mr. Bear 
bestowed them a cow; Mr. Martin and Hans Graaf, 
some flour and meat. Shortly afterwards, other German 
families settled here ; among these were Ranck, Bachert, 
Beck, Af-y^s^ Brimmer, Koch, Hinkel, Schneider, Seger, 
Stehly, Brubacher, Meixel, Diller, and others. 

The caprice of Keith, induced him to receive the 
application of the Swiss and Germans, with perfect 
indifference. They applied as early as 1721 ; but the 
consideration of their petition was procrastinated, days, 
months and years, till 1724, and then only was leave 
granted to bring in a bill to naturalize them, on the hu- 
n'^iliating condition, provided each Swiss or German 
should individually obtain from a justice of the peace, 
a certificate of the value of his property, and the 
nature of his religious faith — not enough yet — a 
representation is made (1727) to Governor Gordon 
Keith's successor ; " that a large number of Germans, 
peculiar in their dress, religion, and notions of political 
Governments, had settled on Pequea, and were deter- 
mined not to obey the lawful authority of Government; 
that they had resolved to speak their oicn language, (a 
grave charge indeed !) and to acknowledge no soA^ereign, 
but the Great Creator of the Universe." 

There was, perhaps, never a people who feel less 
disposed to disobey the lawful authority of Government 
than the Mennonites, against whom these charges were 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 195 

made. In justice to them, we shall digress from our 
narrative, and introduce their own sentiments on this 
subject: ^*We dedicate ourselves to tht security of good 
Government, and the preservation of human life. As 
Christ commanded Peter to pay tribute to Cesar, so we 
shall always pay our taxes. We are subject to high 
authority, as Paul advises, for those in authority bear not 
the sword in vain to execute wrath, but to exercise 
mercy. We hope and pray, that we may not offendo-— 
May God govern the hearts of our rulers, that they do 
those good things which will add to their own, and our 
happiness.^' 

It is also well known, that it was owing to their con- 
scientious scruples to take up arms against the mother 
country, to whom they had vowed loyalty, that they 
were the last to resist a high authority; but no sooner 
had the American Independence been acknowledged — 
lawful authority established — than they obe^^ed the 
rulers of their country. They have never, as a class, or 
as individuals, so far as we know, been disloyal, trouble- 
some, or expensive to Government. They pay their 
taxes regularly ; support the poor of their faith, at their 
own expense : You look in vain in the poor-house for 
any of their brethren or sisters. 

To add food to keep alive jealousies, and excite mis- 
givings against the Germans, "it was reported that some 
thousands were expected to arrive in the ensuing season 
of 1727." It is true that three hundi'ed and forty-eight 
Palatine families, making in all twelve hundred and forty 
persons, did arrive.* They came not as disloyalists, but 

•The number of German emigrants, during 1728, was less 
than the preceding year, only 152 families, consisting of 390 
persons arrived at Philadelphia; during 1729 it was stillless ; 
only 243 Palatine passengers arrived. Strange, that this nura- 



196 HISTORY 01? 

were encouraged to come to Pennsylvania to settle and 
improve the country, upon the invitation of the proprie- 
tary. Their industry and utiUty had before that period 
been proverbial. 

This information, and the report of expected arrivals,, 
were laid before tlie Assembly, whereupon William 
Webb, Samuel Hollingsworth, and John Carter, were 
appointed a committee to inquire into the facts, and make 
report to the next House. These gentlemen investigated 
the grave charges, and in 1758, made a report favorable 
to the Germans and Swiss, who had been invited by the 
original proprietary, William ; "that they had honestly 
paid for their lands, and were a quiet and industrious 
people, honestly discharging their civil and religious 
duties. But that some had made a settlement on lands 
without any right, and refused to yield obedience to 
the Government; that those persons had entered this 
colony from that of New York," says the report, &c. — 
These .some, were but few who had settled " upon Tul- 
pahaca creek," about the year 1722, or 23. These, 
"from New York," had settled on the Tulpehocken 
lands, by Governor Keith's permission. They were 
thirty-three families in 1723 with other natives of 
Germany, who were by the bounty and goodness of 
Queen Anne induced to -transport themselves and 

ber should alarm the Government so much as to pass an act 
laying a duty of forty shillings, per head, on aliens, i. e. Ger- 
mans, Swiss, Dutch and French!!! The influx of paupers — 
not Germans — which was so great during 1729, should have 
excited more alarm-, than the few aliens. 

During the year 1729, there were of English and Welsh pas- 
sengers and servants, 267, Scotch servants, 43, /ris/i passengers 
and servants, 1155, Palatine (alien, or 40 shilling head) passen- 
gers, 243 ; by the way of New Castle, chiefly passengers and 
servants from Ireland, 4500.— /rM«-/i. His. Acct. 163. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 197 

families to the colony of New York, in 1710, or 1711, 
where they settled. But their families increasing, and 
being in that Government confined to the scanty allow- 
ance of ten acres of land to each family, whereupon they 
could not well subsist, being informed of the kind recep- 
tion which the Germans usually met within the province 
of Pennsylvania, and hoping they might, with what 
substance they had, acquire larger settlements in the 
province of Pennsylvania, did leave their settlements in 
New York, and came with their families; applied^to the 
Governor, who granted them permission to settle." 

The names of many of these are still preserved 
recorded, viz : Johannes Yans, Peter Ritt, Conrad Schitz, 
Paltus Unsf, Toritine Serbo, Josap Sab, Jorge Ritt, 
Godfreyt Filler, Johannes Claes Shaver, Io» Hameler 
Ritt, Antonis Shart, Johan Peter Pacht, Jocham Michaei 
Cricht, Sabastian Pisas, Andrew Falborn."'^ 

As the settlements were now becoming numerous, and 
settlers located in various parts, they came frequently and 
more closely in contact with the Indians ; and in despite 
of the efforts of the Government to prevent bloodshed, 
owing to some violence on the part of both whites and 
natives, a person named Thomas Wright was killed by 
some Indians at Snaketown, forty miles above Conestoga. 
John Wright addressed a letter, carried by Jonas Deven- 
port, to Secretary Logan, at Philadelphia, which was 
laid before the council, Sept. 27, 1727. The account in 
the letter stated, that on the 11th of September, several 
Indians, together with one John Burt, an Indian trader, 
and Thomas Wright, were drinking near the house of 
Burt, who was singing and dancing with the Indians, 
and the said Wright ; Burt bade Wright to knock down 
the Indian, whereupon Wright laid hold of the Indian^ 

*Col. Rec. III. 341. 

17* 



198 HisTORr or 

but did not beat him, that afterwards Burt struck the 
Indian several blows with the fist, that the said Wright 
and Burt afterwards returned into the house where the 
Indians followed them and broke open the door, that 
while Wright was endeavoring to pacify them, Burt 
called out for his gun, and continued to provoke them more 
and more ; that hereupon said Wright fled to the hen- 
house to hide himself, whither the Indians pursued him, 
and next morning he was found dead. The inquisition 
on the body set forth, that the said Wright came to his 
death by several blows on his head, neck and temples, 
which the jurors said, they believe, were done by the In- 
dians. This quarrel arose from too free use of rum, sold 
by Burt, the Indian trader.* 

About this time the colonists of Pennsylvania were 
much anno^^ed by non-resident Indians, who frequently, 
in small parties, roved on the borders of the settlements, 
and stimulated by drink and cupidity, committed out- 
rages upon the persons and property of the inhabitants. 
This was the case in the settlements on Manatay creek, 
which empties into the Schuylkill, thirty miles above 
Philadelphia, t 

In the spring of 1728, the inhabitants of the upper 
part of Chester oounty, were considerably alarmed, in 
view of a quarrel that was likely to ensue between the 
Indians of these parts and the Shawanese, wlio had 
killed two of the Conestogoe Indians. Mr. Wright 
acquainted the Governor by letter that the Indians 
seemed to prepare for war, and that therefore his presence 
was desired as necessary to settle these differences, 
which might, in the end, affect the peace of the people of 
the province. In the back parts of the county, whole 

»Col. Rec. III. 302. fGordon, 206. 



lANCASTER COTJNTT. Il99» 

families had left their habitations, through fear of being 
attacked by the Indians* 

The Governor and council paid strict attention to the 
representations of Mr. Wright, and made necessary 
arrangements to go to the seat of disturbance to recon- 
cile those at enmity. The Governor, attended with 
some members of the council, and divers other gentle-- 
men, to the number of about thirty, set out from Phila- 
delphia, May 22, 1728, and on the evening of the 23rd, 
arrived at the house of Mr. Andrew Cornish, about a 
mile distant from Indiantown. Here they spent the 24th 
and 2:5th, in waiting for some other persons expected at 
the treaty and in mutual civilities; and) on the 26th, the 
treaty began at the Indian town of Conestogoe. 

Present: The Hon. Patrick Gordon,. Esq., Lieut. Go- 
vernor, some members of council and divers other gen- 
tlemen. Present, also, viz: Ganyataronga, Tawenna, 
Tanniatchiaro, Taquatarensaly, alias Captain Civility,, 
chiefs of the Conestogoe Indians; Oholykon, Peyeas- 
hiskon, Wikimikyona, chiefe of some of the Delaware 
Indians, on Brandywine;. Howlckyoma, Skayanannego, 
Omieygheat, Nanamakamen,. Peyhiohinas, chiefs of the 
Ganawese Indians; Weysow-walow,. Keyscykakalow 
Nichtamskakow,. chiefs of the Shawanese. 

Shakawtawlin, or Sam,, interpreter from the Delaware 
into the Shawanese and Mingoe,. {alias Conestogoe). — 
Pomapechtoa, interpreter from the Delaware into the 
Ganawese- language. Nicholas Scull, John Scull, and 
Peter Bizallion, assistant interpreters. 

The Governor spoke as follows: My friends and 
brethren, you are sensible that tlie great William Peun,^ 
the father of this country, when he first brought his 
people with him over the broad sea, took all the Indians,, 
the old inhabitants, by the hand, and because he found 



200 HISTORY OF 

them to be sincere, honest people, he took them to his 
heart and loved them as his own. He then made a 
strong league and chain of friendship with them, by 
which it was agreed that the Indians and English, with 
all the christians, should be as one people. Your friend 
and father, William Penn, still retained a warm affection 
for all the Indians, and strictly commanded those whom 
he had sent to govern this people to treat the Indians as 
his children, and contirmed in tli^s kind love for them 
until his death. 

His sons have now sent me over in their stead, and 
they gave me strict charge to love all the Indians as their 
brethren, and as their father, William Penn, loved you. 
I would have seen you before this time, but I fell sick 
soon after I came over, and continued so until next 
spring. I then waited to receive some of the Five 
Nations who came to see me at Philadelphia, and last 
fall I heard you were all gone hunting. 

I am now come to see you, and to renew the ancient 
friendship which has been between William Penn's 
people and you. I was in hopes that Sassoonan and 
Opekasset, with their people, would have been likewise 
here; they have sent me kind messages and have a 
warm love for the christians. I believe they will come 
to me at Philadelphia, for since they could not get hither 
I have desired them to meet me there. I am now to 
discourse with my brethren, the Conestogoes, Delawares, 
Ganawese and Shawanese Indians upon Susquehanna, 
and to speak in love to them. 

My brethren, ^^ou have been faithful to yoiw leagues 
with us, your hearts have been clean, and you have 
preserved the chain from spots or rust, or, if there were 
any, you have been careful to wipe them away. Your 
leagues with your father, William Penn, and with his 



LANCASTER COimTT. 201 

Governors, are in writing on record, that our children's 
children may have them in everlasting remembrance. — 
And we know that you preserve the memory of 
those things amongst you by telling them to your 
children, and they again to the next generation, so; tliat 
tliey remained stamped on yom* minds never to be forgot.. 
The chief heads or strongest links of this chain, I find 
are these nine, viz : 

1. That all William Penn's people or christians, and 
all the Indians should be brethren, the children: of one 
father, joined together as with one heart, one head, and 
one body. 

2. That all paths should be open and free to both 
christians and Indians. 

3. That the doors of the- christian's house should be 
open to the Indians, and the houses of the Indians to 
the christians, and that they should make each other 
welcome as friends. 

4. That the christians should not believe any false 
rumors or reports of the Indians, nor the Indians believe 
any such rumors or reports of the christians, but should 
first come as brethren to inquire of each other; and that 
both christians and Indians when they hear such false 
reports of their brethren, should bury them as in a bot- 
tomless pit. 

5. That if the christians heard any ill news that may 
be to the hurt of the Indians, or the Indians hear any 
such ill news that may be to the injury of the christians, 
tliey should acquaint each other with it speedily, as true 
friends and brethren. 

6. That the Indians should do no more any manner of 
harm to the christians, nor their creatures, nor the chris- 
tians do any hurt to any Indians, but each trust the other 
as their brethren. 



202 HISTORY OF 

7. But as there are wicked people in all nations, if 
either Indians or christians should do any harm to each 
other, complaint should be made of it by the persons 
suffering that right may be done, and when satisfaction 
is made, the injury or wrong should be forgotten, and be 
buried as in a bottomless pit. 

8. That the Indians should in all things assist the 
cliristians, and the christians assist the Indians against 
all wicked people that would disturb them. 

9. And lastly, that both christians and Indians should 
acquaint their children with this league and firm chain 
of friendship made between them, and that it should 
always be made stronger and stronger, and be kept 
bright and clean, without rust or spot between our 
children, while the creeks and rivers run, and while the 
sun and moon and stars endure. 

And for a confirmation on our parts all these several 
parcels of goods, viz : twenty strowd match coats, 
twenty duffels, twenty blankets, twenty shirts, one 
hundred pounds of gmipowder, two hundred pounds of 
lead, five hundred flints and fifty knives. 

After which the Governor proceeded and said: My 
brethren, I have now spoke to the league and chain of 
friendship, first made by your father, William Penn, 
with your fathers, which is confirmed. I am now to 
acquaint you with an mihappy accident that has aflhcted 
me and all good people amongst us, and we lament and 
mourn with you on the heavy misfortune. 

About forty days ago we heard that the Twechtweys* 
were coming as enemies against this country. I believe 

*This intelligeuce was commmiicated to the Governor by 
James Le Tort, Indian trader, then at Philadelphia, who had 
just come from Chenasy, in the upper parts of the river Sus« 
quehannah.— Co/. Rec, HI. 312. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 203 

it is false, for we never hurt the Twechtweys; and about 
eighteen days since, I received an express from the Iron 
Works at Mahanatawny,* acquainted me that eleven 
foreign Indians, painted for war, and armed with guns, 
pistols and swords, were come amongst our inhabitants, 
plundering them and taking away their provisions by 
force, whereupon some of our people, to the number of 
twenty men, with arms, went to speak to them civilly, 
but the Indians fired upon them and wounded some of 
them; our men likewise fired on the Indians and 
wounded some of them also, but the Indians fired first.t 
It was very ill done to fire. 

As soon as I heard this account, I took my horse and 
went to Mahanatawny, with several gentlemen of 
Philadelphia ; but the Indians were gone off. I found 
om: people believed there were more coming, and there- 
lore some hundreds met together with their arms to defend 
themselves in case the Indians should attack them. As 
I was retimiing home, I heard news that grieved me 
exceedingly. I was told that two or three furious men 
amongst us had killed three of our Indian friends and 
hurt two girls. I went back mourning, and sent out 
men to take the murderers, who were accordingly taken, 
and they are now in irons in a dungeon to be tried by 
the laws of the Great King of all the English, as if they 
had killed so many of his own subjects. I have likewise 
caused search to be made for the dead bodies, and two 
women were fomid murdered, who, by my order, were 
laid in a grave and covered with shirts and strowds. I 
hear likewise that the dead body of an Indian man has 
been found and was buried. 

*About 30 miles above Philadelphia, in Berks county. 

jThey were non-resident Indians, headed by a Spanish 
Indian— Co/. Rec. III. 321. 



^0^ msTOHY OP 

You know there are wicked people amongst all 
nations ; there are ill people amongst yoli, and you are 
sometimes forced to put them to death. The English 
are a great people, and there are likewise wicked men 
amongst them. I mourn for this misfortune, and will do 
all I can to comfoi*t the relations of the dead when I see 
them, whieh I hope will be at Philadelphia with 
Sassoonan, and Opekasset. 

About eight months ago, I received an account that an 
Englishman was killed by some Indians, at the house of 
John Burt, in Snaketown. I heard John Burt was very 
abusive to the Indians, and I sent to apprehend him, but 
he fled ; if he can be taken he will be punished. But 
since there was a man killed, we expect the Indians will 
do us justice, for we must be just and faithful to each 
other, that this spoc may be wiped away and the chain 
be kept bright and clean. 

You know, my brethren, that one link of the chain is, 
that when the Indians are uneasy, they should tell it to 
us, and when we are uneasy, we will tell it to them. I 
therefore desire your hearts may be open, that I may 
know if you have any cause of grief, whieh I will 
endeavor to remove, for I am your brother. 

I have issued a proclamation requiring all people to 
use you well, which shall be read unto you before I go 
away. I will prevent any hurt being done to our 
friends, the Indians, because those who do not behave 
themselves agreeable to what is therein commanded, 
will be severely punished. The Governor, council^ 
Indians, and others, as the day before, met at the same 
place, May 27th. 

Tawenna, in the name, and on the behalf of all the 
Indians spoke to the Governor, which was rendered into 
English, by John Scull, interpreter. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 205 

Give ear, said Tawenna, my brethren, of Philadel- 
phia, the Conestogoe Indians, the Shawanese, the 
Ganawese, and Delawares, have somewhat to say, 
which they will speak presently. 

They say, they look upon the Governor as if William 
Penn himself were present. They are four nations and 
among them are several foolish people, as if they were 
just sprung from the earth; but that since their first 
friendship with William Penn, they never have received 
any wrong or injury from him or any of his people. — 
That several foolish people among them committed follies 
and indiscretions, but they hope these will never inter- 
rupt the friendship which is between their people and 
us, for that they and all William Penn's people are as 
one people, that eat as it were, with one mouth, and are 
one body, and one heart. 

Then presenting a belt of wampum of ei^ht rows, 
they say : They would not have the Governor grieve too 
much for the rash inconsiderations that of late have been 
committed; they must be buried and forgot, for that what 
has happened was done by their friends ; if it had been 
done by their enemies, they would have resented it, but 
that we and they are one ; that they have always met 
with justice and kindness from William Penn, and from 
all the Governors whom he had sent here, and thus do 
all the Indians of Conestogoe, Delaware, the Shawanese 
and Ganawese, say. That they are extremely glad and 
satisfied with what the Governor said to those yesterday, 
it greatly rejoiced their hearts that they had no such 
speech made to them since the time that the great 
William Penn was amongst them, all was good, and 
nothing was amiss. 

Then presenting four strings of wampum, they say : 
They will visit the Governor at Philadelphia, after the 

18 



206 HISTORY OF 

harvest is over, and then they will speak fully to'him, as 
their brother and friend, for the Conestogoes, Delawares, 
Shawanese, and Ganawese will then come to him, and 
he may look up the Conestogoe road and expect them. 
That what had happened at John Burt's House, was not 
done by them, it was done by one of the Menysinicks^ 
who are of another nation, and therefore, they can say 
nothing to it.'' 

After this answer of the Indians, some of the gentle-^ 
man present, moved the Governor that seeing there was 
now a numerous company of our inhabitants met 
together, he would be pleased to press the Indians to 
declare to him if they suffered any grievance or hard- 
ship from this Government, because several reports had 
been industriously spread abroad, as if they had some 
just cause of complaint. And the Governor having 
ordered the interpreters to acquaint them therewith; 
they all answered that they had no cause of complaint? 
that WiUiam Penn and his people had still them treated 
well, and they had no uneasiness. 

The Governor then told them, that he was well 
pleased with what they had said unto him, and that 
since the Indian, who killed the Englishman at Burt's 
house, is not of their nation, he would demand justice 
from that nation to which he belonged. 

After giving the Indians a few presents, the Governor 
took all the Indian chiefs by the hand, and desired them 
that when they returned home they should acquaint all 
their people with Avhat had now passed between them and 
us, that the remembrance thereof might endure forever. 

Note. — Iron Works — " Kurtz, it is supposed, established the 
first Iron Works in 172G, within the present bounds of Lancaster 
county. The Grubbs were distinguished for their industry and 
enterprize : they commenced operations in 1728."— -Haz. Reg. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 207 

To close this chapter, we have mtroduced a brief 
sicetch of the pubhc services of our old father^ David 
Dieffenderffer, residing at Hew Holland. 

David Dieffenderffer, was born, February 9th, 
1752, near New Holland; before he had reached his 
tenth year, his father, Michael Dieffenderffer, moved to 
Lancaster. David, when in his eleventh, saw a sight in 
Lancaster, "too horrible to relate," to use his own 
language, the massacred Indians in their gore, and one 
in the agonies of death, menacing revenge by the motion 
oi ^'his dying hands." 

At the age of twenty-five, he sternly advocated the 
suffering cause of his bleeding country, by actual and 
personal services; first in the character of a militia man? 
after the expiration of his tour, he served as an enlisted 
volunteer of Colonel Houssacker's* regiment, under 
Captain David Wilbert, of Philadelphia, and Lieut. Col. 
George Strieker, father of General Strieker, late of 
Baltimore. 

He was in many important engagements. He was 
engaged in the taking of the Hessians at Trenton, where 
Colonel Rahl, the Hessian commander, and a gallant 
officer, was mortally wounded, besides six other 
officers, and between twenty and thirty privates, of the 
enemy, were killed, Decembsr 26, 1776, and twenty- 
three officers, and rising of nine hundred privates, were 
taken prisoners by the Americans, who lost only four 

*Houssacker, who afterwards deserted the Americans, and 
surrendered twenty or more of his men, at Princeton, had 
been originally commissioned a ma.jor of Wayne's battalion. 
*' He had," says Graydon, ^'if I mistake not, been an adjutant 
of the Royal Americans; and was considered a capable dis- 
ciplinarian. He was a German, or rather a man of no country 
or any country ; a citizen of the world, a soldier of fortune, 
and a true mercenary." — Graydon's Mem. 218. 



'20S IllSTOUY OP 

privalos, niui two of llu^st^ wiM'o tVozon to doaili. He 
was al iho I'aunoiuulitii; oi' TiiMiton, .lanuaiy i, 1777; 
wliou llio Auiorioans \voro ivpulsod, "1 ran," said the 
votoran to us, in his nintMy-lirst yiwr, "like a Hollander, 
\v\\'\\c \\\c bnlKMs \vhistl(Hl about my oars, and rattled 
like hailstonos against tlu^ tonrt*." Ho was in tlio oii- 
gagoniont whcro tlioro was a t'oarful odds in numbers and 
tact against the Americans, when they had to contend 
against Lord Cornwaliis's troops, and reinlbrced by regi- 
ments under the eonuuand ol' Colonel Maywood, at the 
battle of Princeton, .lanuary ;?rd, 1777; here the British 
loss was more than oiu^ lunuh\Hl kilKnl, and rising of 
three hundred prisoners taken. "Hut the victory was 
by no means a bloodless one to the An.iericans; (anieral 
Mercer was mortally wouudcil. Col. llaslci, (\)1. Potter, 
and other ollicers of submdinate rank, were killed." 

He was with the American army at IVlorristown, in 
winter (|uartcrs. Hero Washington, not trusting to the 
barriers nature had thrown around his position, sent out 
detachments to assail and harass General Howe's troops; 
and it was in those expeditions DieffenderiTer frequently 
t(X>k part. 

In a skirmish at INlonmouth, in the spring of '77, 
DielTcndcrtTcr was taken ]irisoner and shamet'nlly mal- 
treated by one oi the Hrilish, who struck him in his 
face with his musket; a scar is still visible on his u]iper 
Hp; blow upon blow would have been repeated, but for 
the manly and timely interposition of a small Scotch- 
man, he was treated as a prisoner. He, and twenty-live 
or thirty tellow-prisoners, were conveyed to New York, 
and confined in a sugar-refinery, covered in part with 
tile. The sulVcrings they endured, excited universal 
indignation, and will, everlastingly, rellect reproach on 
the Ih'ilish commander. JNlany of them sunk imdeir 



thoir suffer irii-^s and died. Dioffendorffi^r's .sufforin^^.s 
were mitigated by the kindness of a Mr. jMiller, Jfessiau 
commissary in tfje English service; having heen at 
Lancaster, he had taken lodging at the public house of 
Michael Dieffendf^rrfer, and wfjo, in a cdjiversation, told 
Miller he had a :^on, a suffering prisoner, at Nev/ York, 
and if he had an opportunity, would send him some 
monr;y. Miller informed him he would shortly retiirn to 
New York, and would be pleased to have it in liis power 
to befriend him or his sufff^ring son; the opportunity was 
improved, and four half-johannes, placed in the hands of 
the commissary, who, with the chiaracteristic fidelity of 
an honest Hessian, on his arrival, delivered the gold to 
David.* He received, he said, with gratitude, and in 
tears, the money, a kind father liad sent him. ilis condi- 
tion was greatly amelir)rated. 

Notwithstanding the economy he used, his money, a:, 
his imprisonment was protracted, was reduced to a few 
cents; and while, as a prisoner of ?iope, he was meditat- 
ing how his future sufferings should he mitigated, Capt. 
Michael Smyser,t of York county, on his return from 
Long Island, by way of New York, to his hom^-, handed 
him an P^nglish giainea. After five months' suffering, 
in the latter part of October, he went to Long Island 
where he was, on parole, laboring for ?iis board and 
clothing for some time; he returned to New York ; was 

•This statement we have from the old father himself; while 
relating to us the incidents of his eventful life, at this particu- 
lar, we saw steal down his cheeks, in hurried succession, tears 
from his sightless organs ; he added, "I had a kind father." 

f Captain Michael Smyser was one of the virtuous band of 
the gloomy period of 76. At the unfortunate capture of Fort 
WaHhiriglon, he was made prisoner, and could appreciate the 
sufferings of his fellow-citizens. 

18* 



210 HISTORY OF 

exchanged, and received a permit ; and in company with 
Colonel Atlee, who had been taken prisoner before, 
came to Trenton, where they parted. Dieffenderffer, by 
way of Valley Forge returned to Lancaster. He 
remained a short time at home ; then in company with 
Captain Wilbert, went to Valley Forge; here he 
remained four weeks, sufficiently long to witness the 
sufferings of the American army. 

On the ISth of June, 1778, General Howe evacuated 
Philadelphia, and crossed over into New Jersey, whither 
they were speedily followed by Washington ; pursuing the 
enemy; and on the 2Sth of June, gained a signal 
victory at Monmouth, over the British. Dieffenderffer 
was in this engagement. This, says he, was one of the 
hottest days that he ever experienced; several fell dead 
from drinking cold water. From Monmouth, they 
marched to the White Plains, a few miles to the north- 
eastward of New York Island. Thence they went to 
West Point, where Washington had his head quarters. — 
Here Dieffenderffer having received a furlough, 
returned to Lancaster, where he remained till March, 
1779, when he returned to the regiment at Easton. — 
Under the command af General Sullivan, they marched 
into the Wyoming country, and Gennesee Flats ; thence 
returned to W^yoming ; then the regiment, under the 
direction of Major W^eldner, came on to Sunbury. — 
Owing to sickness, Dieffenderffer, as ensign, resigned his 
commission, and returned to Lancaster, in 1779. 

His eventtul life, through habits of temperance and 
moderation, has been lengthened four score and ten. — 
Though sightless for some years, he enjoys at present 
remarkable health ; and enjoys the company of a 
virtuous and intelligent offspring and relatives. Here 
we would add that his cousin, Jacob Dieffenderffer, 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 212 

residing in the same village, New Holland, was 
in the service of his country, when Lord Corn- 
wallis was taken. We regret that we have not the 
particulars of his services. May they both continue to 
command the esteem which they so richly merit, and 
when their warfare on earth ends, may they rest in 
peace. 



CHAPTER VI. 



Ephrata — Origin of German Baptists in Europe, and their emigral'^n to 
America — Some settle at Muelbacli — Sieben Taeger association forn.'^d 
at Ephrata, by Conrad Bcissel — Change of Ufe among them — They built 
Kedar and Zion — Singular architecture of buildings — Fractur-Schriften 
by the Sisters — Specimens of original poetr}' — Eckerlein and the bell — 
Its destination — Sabbath School established — Miller succeeds Bcissel — 
Juliana Penn's letter — Poetry dedicated to Miller — Present state of 
Ephrata. List of names of the first inhabitants of Ephrata — Names of 
some of the early settlers in Lancaster county. 

A settlement was commenced, in 1725, or 1726, on 
the banks of the Cocalico creek, where the Reading 
road, and Downingtown turnpike intersect, at present, in 
Ephrata township, and is well known by the name of 
"Kloster," or "Ephrata," or "Dunkertown," a nick- 
name from the word Diinker, or Tunker^ a corruption 
of Taevfer, Baptists. To show the origin of this settle- 
ment, we shall introduce as preliminary, a brief historic 
cal sketch of the German Baptists, from whom the 
founder of the society at Ephrata, seceded. Those 
at Ephrata, are generally Imown by the name of * Sieben 
Taeger," Seventh Day People; because they keep the 
seventh, instead of the first day of the week, as the 
Sabbath. 



212 HISTORY OP 

In the year 1 708, eight persons, five brethren and three 
sisters, viz: Alexander Mack, of Schreisheim, in the 
Palatinate, Germany, George Graby and Lucas Fetter^ 
of Hesse Cassel, Andrew Boney, of Basle, in Switzer- 
land, and John Kipping, from Wirtemburg, and Johanna 
Bong, Anna Margaretta Mack, and Johanna Kipping, 
entered into a covenant with each other, to meet regu- 
larly, to carefully and impartially examine the doctrines 
of the New Testament, and by the help of God, to ascer- 
tain what are the obligations it imposes on professed fol- 
lowers of the meek and the humble Saviour; laying 
aside pre-conceived opinions, and, if possible, to attain 
to */ie answer of a good conscience by rendering implicit 
obedience to the commands of the Lord Jesus ; to follow 
him in evil as well as in good report. The result of 
their meetings and prayerful investigations was the 
formation of a society, that as brethren and sisters, under 
the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, dwelled together in 
unity of a living faith. This society is now called the 
Dunkers, from the mode of administering baptism, in 
water, by trine immersion. 

The society having been formed, and, as they con- 
ceived that immersion was the only valid mode of 
administering baptism, and none of them thus baptized, 
they felt themselves in a difficulty, says one of their 
writers, "not soon g6t over;" one of their number, who 
labored among them in word, visited the societies in 
differents parts of Germany, to collect the opinion of the 
awakened generally, upon the subject of baptism; the 
greater number acknowledged that immersion was the 
mode practiced by the Apostles and primitive christians, 
but still endeavoring to satisfy themselves, that a hand- 
full of water by pouring, would answer the same end, 
provided it was administered to proper subjects only. 



LANCASTER COlJ'NTr. 213^ 

*'The consciences of the before mentioned could, how- 
ever, find no satisfaction in these; they, therefore, 
desired him, who was their minister, to baptize them by 
immersion; according to the example and practice of 
the first christians and primitive believers; he felt a 
diffidence to comply with their request on account of his 
not being baptized himself, he desired, therefore, first to 
be baptized before he could conscientiously baptize any 
of them; and they betook themselves to fasting and 
prayer, in order to obtain help and direction in this case, 
from Him who is the restorer of paths to dwell in, for they 
were all desirous to be baptized. In this dilemma, a 
testimony of scripture revived in their minds, "Where 
two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the 
midst." 

"Wherefore, with an unbroken confidence in the 
precious promise of God, they cast lots, who of the 
four brethren should baptize him, that was anxiously 
desirous of being baptized; they pledged their word, at 
the same time, that it should remain a secret upon whom 
the lot fell, that no one might take occasion to call the 
society by the name of any man, as was the case with 
the Corinthian clmrch, which was sharply reproTsd by 
the Apostle." 

" The crisis for the camp to move forward, had now 
arrived; they were now made willing in the day of the 
Lord^s power; accordingly, they went out in the morn- 
ing, to a stream called Ader, and then, he, upon whom 
the lot had fallen, baptized the brother, who was so 
anxious to submit to the ordinance. This being done,, 
he was acknowledged as duly qualified; he baptized 
him first by whom he had been baptized, and the three 
remaining brethren, and the sisters; thus were tliese 
eight, at an early hour in the morning, baptized in the 



214 HISTORY OP 

water by trine immersion ; and after they came up out 
of the water, and had changed their clothes, they were 
filled with joy, and by the grace of God, these expres- 
si-ms were revived in their minds with peculiar energy, 
"be ye fruitful and multiply." 

They met with no small share of opposition and per- 
secution, notwithstanding these, they soon increased^ 
wherever the hand of persecution had driven them; 
some fled to Holland, some to Creyfels, in the Dutchy of 
Cleves; and the mother church voluntarily removed to 
Serustervin, in Friesland. In a very short time, there were 
eflicient laborers in this branch of God's moral vineyard; 
especially at Creyfels. Among the brethren there were 
John li. Kalklosor, from Frankenthal, Christian Leib, 
and Abraham Dubois, from Ebstein, John Naas, and 
others, from the north, Peter Becker, from Dilsheim, 
John H. Traut, and his brethren, and Stephen Koch, 
George B. Gantz, from Umstadt, and Michael Ecker- 
ling, from Strasburg. Among these, as their leader, was 
Alexander INIack, who devoted his property to the com- 
mon use of the society, and emigrated to Pennsylvania, 
in 1729,* where persecuted virtue found an asylum 
under the benign Government of Penn. They first 
settled at Germantown, some at Skippack, Oley, others 
at Conestoga, and elsewhere. A congregation of them 
was organized, and they chose Peter Becker, as oflicial 
baptizer. 

The society increased rapidly, and soon a church weis 
formed in Lancaster county, at Miielbach, (Mill creek). 
One of the prominent members of this last mentioned 

*Im lahr, 1729, ist Alexander Mack, der Urstaender der 
Taeufer, samt den uebrigen gedachter Gemeinde, von Fries- 
land abgesetzt und in Pennsylvanien angekommen. — PtUr 
Miller, 



LANCASTER COUNTr. 215 

church, was Conrad Beissel, a native of Germany. He 
was converted in 1715. He had fled from the persecu- 
tions of that period. He arrived in America in 1720, 
and in 1721, settled at Mill creek, where he, and one 
Stuntz, built a house; and they were soon joined by 
Isaac Von Babern, George Stiefel, and others. It 
appears from an extract of the Ephrata Clironicle, that 
Conrad Beissel was baptized by Peter Becker, in Pequea 
creek, in 1724. Soon a new organization arose from 
the Bunkers.* Beissel, "wholly intent upon seeking 
out the true obligation of the word of God, and the 
proper observances of the rites and ceremonies it im- 
poses, stripped of human authority, he conceived that 
there was an error among the Bunkers, in the ob- 
servance of the day for the Sabbath ; that the seventh 

*About the same time, another religious sect was formed in 
Oley, now Berks county. This association was headed by one 
Mathias Baumann. His followers or disciples were styled 
"The New-born."-- 

They professed to be impeccable, or of having attained a 
state of sinlessness: they were perfectionists. They boasted 
they were sent of God to confound others. Their disputations 
were frequently heard in the market places of Philadelphia. — 
On one occasion, Baumann, to show that his doctrine was 
from God, proposed to wade across the Delaware river. 

They were, as it is the custom of enthusiasts and fanatics^ 
contentious, wandering through the country, displaying zeal 
for their doctrines, by controverting with all who differed from 
them in matters of faith. Conrad Beissel, the founder of the 
Sieben Taeger, was occasionally annoyed in his recluse situa- 
tion, by them. 

Baumann, their leader, was a native of Lamshelm, Palati- 
nate ; born in 1701 ; came to America between the years, 1719, 
and 1722; he died, 1727. It is reported, he was an honest and 
sincere man ; not solicitous to accumulate property ; but, that 
Kuehlenwein, Jotter, and others of his followers, loved the 
good things of the world inordinately. 



216 HISTORY OF 

day was the command of the Lord God, and that day 
being established and sanctified, by the Great Jehovah, 
forever! And no change, nor authority for change, ever 
having been announced to man, by any power sufficient 
to set aside the solemn decree of the Almighty; a 
decree which he declared that he had sanctified forever ! 
He felt it to be his duty to contend for the observance of 
that day. About the year 1725, he published a tract 
entering into a discussion of this point, which created 
some excitement and disturbance in the society, at Mill 
creek ; upon which he retired from the settlement, and 
went secretly, to a cell on the banks of the Cocalico,* 
that had previously been occupied by one Elimelich, a 
hermit His place of retirement was unknown for 
sometime to the people he had left, and when discovered, 
many of the society at Mill creek, who had become 
convinced of the truth of his proposition for the observ- 
ance of the Sabbath, settled around him, in solitary 
cottages. They adopted the original Sabbath — the 
seventh day — for public worship, in the year 1728; 
which has ever since been observed by their descendants, 
even unto the present day. 

In the year 1732, the solitary life was changed into a 
conventicle one, and a monastic society was established 
as soon as the first buildings erected for that purpose 
were finished. May, 1733. The habit of the Capuchins, 
or White Friars,t was adopted by both the brethren and 

*Cocalico, called by the Delaware Indians, Koch-Halekung^ 
Germanice, Schlangenhoehle, Serpents den ; from the abun- 
dance of serpents along the stream. — Chron. Eph. 52. 

fCapuzlner, eine Abart des Franciscaner Ordens, welche 
gegen das lahr 1525, ihren Anfang nahm. Sie tragen eine 
lange spitz zulaufcnde capuze und einen langen Bart; die 
Verfassung des ordens ist streng und zeichnet sich durch 
Enthaltsamkeit aus. 



LANCASTER GOUNTT. 217 

/ulsters; which consisted of a shirt, trowsers, and vest, 
with a long white gown or cowl, of woolen web in 
winter, and linen in summer. That of the sisters 
differed only in the substitution of petticoats for trowsers, 
•and some little peculiarity in the shape of the cowl. — 
Monastic names were given to all who entered the 
cloister. Onesimus (Israel Eckerlin) was constituted 
Prior, who was succeeded by Jaebez (Peter Miller) and 
the title of Father — spiritual father — was bestowed by 
the society, upon Beissel, whose monastic name was 
Friedsam; to which the brethren afterwards added 
Oottrecht; implying, together. Peaceable, Godright. In 
the year 1740, there were thirty-six single brethren in 
the cloister, and thirty-five sisters ; and at one time, the 
society, including the members living in the neighbor- 
hood, numbered nearly three hundred. 

The first buildings of the society of any consequence, 
were Kedar and Zion; a meeting house and convent, 
which were erected on the hill called Mount Zion. — 
They afterwards built larger accommodations, in the 
meadow below, comprising a sister's house, called Saron, 
to which is attached a large chapel and "Saal" for the 
purpose of holding Agapas, or Love Feasts. A 
brother's house, called Bethania, with which is con- 
nected the large meeting room, with galleries, in which 
the whole society assembled, for public worship, in the 
days of their prosperity, and which are still standing, 
surrounded by smaller buildings, that were occupied as 
printing-office, bake-house, school-house, almonry, and 
others, for different purposes; on one of which, a one 
story house, the town clock is erected."* 

*One of the buildings having been erected thirty-eight years, 
^vas converted into a Hospital in the Arnerican Revolution, 
and aftcrv/ards occupied as a school house. The house stands 

19 



218 HISTORY OF 

"The buildings are singular, and of veiy ancient 
architecture; all the outwalls being covered with shin- 
gles, or clapboards. The two houses, for the brethren 
and sisters, are very large, being three and four stories 
high ; each has a chapel for their night meetings, and 
the main buildings are divided into small apartments^, 
each containing between fifty and sixty, so that six 
dormitories, which are barely large enough to contain a 
cot (in early days a bench, and billet of wood for the 
head) a closet and an hour glass surrounded a common 
room, in which each subdivision pursued their respec- 

no more ; the spot it occupied is still pointed out to the casual 
visitor, by the courteous inhabitants of Ephrata. 

A few days after the battle of Brandywine had been fought, 
September 11, 1777, four or five hundred of the wounded 
soldiers were taken to Ephrata, and placed in the Hospital. — 
Doctors Yerkel, Sc^tt and Harrison, were the attending 
surgeons and physicians. The wounds and camp fever, 
baffled their skill : one hundred and fifty of the soldiers died 
here ; they were principally from the Eastern States, and 
Pennsylvania, and a tow British, who had deserted and joined 
the American Army. "The first of them that died here, was 
buried by the honors of war ; a funeral sermon, preached by 
one of their own number, appointed for that purpose. This 
practice was continued for some time, till they began to drop 
off too rapidly to allow time for the performance of the cere- 
mony, when every thing of the kind was dispensed with." 

The place where they rest, is enclosed ; and for many years, 
a board, with this inscription: 

'^W^v Huliru Hie ^ttjrtnc bfclrr Soltrateu,'' 

was placed over the gate of the enclosure. The board, with 
the inscription, is no more. Measures are now, upon sugges- 
tion of Joseph Konigmaclier, Esq., and many of his fellow 
citizens, taken to raise a plain and durable monument, to 
rescue from oblivion, and perpetuate the memories of the 
entombed soldiers, who were wounded at Brandywine, and died, 
at Ephrata. 



LANCASTER COrNTl'. 2l9 

five avocations. On entering these silent cells, and 
traversing the long narrow passages, visiters can scarcely 
divest themselves of the feehng of walking the tortuous 
windings of some old castle, and breathing in the hidden 
recesses of romance. The ceilings have an elevation of 
but seven feet; the passages leading to the cells, or 
kammers, as they are styled, and through the different 
parts of both convents, are barely wide enough to admit 
one person, for when meeting a second, he has always to 
retreat. The dens of the kammers are but five feet 
high, and twenty inches wide, and the window, for 
each has but one, is only eighteen by twenty-four 
inches; the largest windows affording light to the 
meeting rooms; the chapels, the saals, and even the 
kammers, or dormitories, are hung and nearly covered 
with large sheets of elegant penmanship, or ink paint- 
ings; many of which are texts from the scriptures, exe- 
cuted in a very handsome manner, in ornamented 
Gothic letters, called in German, Fractur-Schrifter. 
They are done on large sheets of paper, manufactured 
for the purpose at their own mill, some of which are put 
into frames, and which admonish the resident, as well as 
the casual visiter, which ever way they may turn the 
head. There are some very curious ones: two of 
which still remain in the chapel attached to Saron. — 
One represents the narrow and crooked way, done oa a 
sheet of about three feet square, which it would be 
difficult to describe ; it is very curious and ingenious : 
the whole of the road is filled up with texts of scripture, 
adverting the disciples of their duties, and the obliga. 
tions their profession imposes upon them. Another 
represents the three Heavens. In the first, Christ, the 
Shepherd, is represented gathering his flock together ; in 
the second, which Occupies one foot in height, and is 



320 HISTORY oy 

three feet wide, three hundred figures in Capuchin dress^ 
can be counted, with harps in their hands, and heads of 
an innumerable host ; and in the third is seen the Throne 
surrounded by two hundred Arch-Angels. Many of 
these Fractur-Schriften express their own enthusiastic 
sentiments on the subject of Celibacy, and the virtue of 
a recluse life, whilst others are devotional pieces. The 
following are from two found in the ehapel of the 
sisters' convent. We can copy the sentiment, but cannot 
convey an idea of their style. 

Die Lieb ist ursre kron imd heller tugend spiegel. 

Die Weisheit unsre Lust, iind reines Gottes Siegel; 

Das Lamm ist unser schatz wir uns an vertraiien, 

Und folgen seinem Gang als reinste Jungfrauen. 

Unsre Kronen die wir tragen in dieser sterblichkeit, 

Werden uns in Truebsals-tagen durch viel Leid zubereit^ 

Da muss unsre Hoffnung bluehen und der Glaube wachsen auf 

Wan sich Welt undFleisch bemuechen uns zu schwaechem im 

Lauf, 
O, wol dan ! weilwir gezaehlet zuder reinen LaemmerHeerd, 
Die dem keuschenLamm vermaelilet, und erkauft von der Erd, 
Bleibet schon alhier verborgen, unser Ehren Schmuck und 

Kron, 
Wild us doch an jenem Morgen Kroenen, lesus Gottes Sohn. 

Above the door, as you enter from the sister house 
in the saal, is one which we copied while on a visit to 
the place. 

Die Thuer zum eingang in das haus 

Wo die vereinte Seelen wohnen 

Laesst keines mehr, von da hinaus 

Weil Gott thut selber unter ihnen thronen 

Ihr Glueck blueht in vereinten Liebes Flammen, 

Weil sie aus Gott und seiner Lieb herstammen. 

Immediately to the right of this is another which, 



LANCASTER COUNTY. S21 

"by the aid of SchweSter Barbara, we were able to 
copy. 

So lebet dann die reine Schaar 

Im innern Tempel hierbeisamen, 

Entrissen aller AVelt-Gefahr 

Id heiss verliebten Liebes-Flammen ; 

Und lebet dann in HofFnung bin, 

Nach der beglueckten Freiheit die dort oben ; 

Da sie nach dem verliebten Sinn 

Ihn ohne zeit und end vvird loben. 

Another on the same wall, which, as Ave have been 
informed, was a favorite Reim in their more prosperous 
days. 

So steht der Tempel da erfuellt mit reinen Seelen, 
Die sich das keusche Lannm zu eigen thut vermaehlen : 
Es gehet vor uns her, wir folgen treulich nach, 
Und nehmen mit auf uns sein Kreuz und Ungemach. 
Bleiben wir so in ihm so ist das Ziel getroffen ; 
Und haben dorten einst das wahre Gut zu hofFen : 
Bleiben ihm gespart, bis es sich wird vermaehlen, 
Und wir in jener Welt, ewig sein Lob erzaehlen. 
Die Lieb ist unsere kron und heiliger Tugendspiegel ; 
Die Weisheit unsere Lust und reines Gottes Siegel : 
Das Lamm ist unser Schatz dem wir uns anvertrauen, 
Und folgen seinem Gang als reinste Jungfranen. 

In the rooms which any sister has occupied, and is 
departed, a piece, which is framed in imitation of a 
tablet, is put up expressive of the character and virtues 
of the deceased, or some feeling memorial of love is 
inscribed. The following was found in the kammer 
which had been occupied by Zenobia, a very beautiful, 
lovely and devout sister ; 

ZENOBIA, 
*' Wird gruenen und Gedeyen, ihre Arbeit wird nicht vergel- 
lich, noch auch ihre Hoffnung, verlohren seyn, ihr Erbe 
bluehet mitten unter den Hcili2:en." 



222 HISTORY OP 

"A room was set apart for such purposes, called 
« Das Sclireib Zimmer/' the writing room, and several 
sisters devoted their whole attention to tliis labor, as 
well as to transcribing the writings of the founder of the 
society; thus multiplying copies for the wants of the 
community, before they had a printing press. Two 
sisters, named ^in?2astasia and Iphigenia, were the 
principal ornamental writers. They left a large folio 
volume of sample alphabets, of various sizes and style; 
which are both elegant and curious, exhibiting the most 
patient application. The letters of the first alphabet are 
twelve inches long, surrounded by a deep border, in 
imitation of copper-plate engraving; each one of which 
is different in the filling up. It was finished in the year 
1750, and is still preserved in the hands of the trustees. 
There was another transcribing room appropriated 
exclusively to copying music. Hundreds of volumes, 
each containing five or six hundred pieces, were trans- 
ferred from book to book, with as much accuracy, 
and almost as much neatness, as if done with a 

gi'aver. 

'^ It was in contemplation, at one time, by the Ecker- 

k'ns, three brothers, one of whom was a prior, and had 
the superintendence of the secular concerns, to make it a 
place of more importance than a mere religious refuge. 
They were from Germany, and had been brought up 
Catholics. They conceived a project of erecting exten- 
sive buildhigs, and connecting trades with it; and had 
some preparations under way; the timber all hewn, as 
all the buiklings are of wood, even the chimneys, which 
remain in use at this day; and in readiness to erect a 
tower, and had sent to Europe, where they had exten- 
sive connexions, and got a chime of bells cast, unknown 
to the society, until they arrived at Philadelphia, and the 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 223 

bill for payment was forwarded to them. The society 
resolved not to receive them, but had them sold and paid 
the loss. One of these bells having upon it, "Ephrata— 
Israel Eckerlin, Prior,'^* was purchased, and is tiow on 
one of the churches in Lancaster. 

" This transaction led to the discovery of a conspiracy 
of the Eckerlins to possess themselves of the titles of 
the property, which was much more extensive and 
valuable then now, and which terminated in the expul- 
sion of Israel from the office of Prior. The Eckerlins 

*Isracl Eckerlin, Prior; this is given on the authority of W. 
A. Fahncstock, M. D., to whom we are indebted for much of 
this article. Wc behove the bell alluded to, is the one on the 
Lutheran church. If it is, it has this inscripfion : Suh auspicio 
viri ven-eraiidi Onesimi Societ. Epkrat. Praepositi. A. O. 
MDCCXLV. Which we translated: "Under the auspices of 
the venerable man, Onesimus, placed over the society at 
Ephrata, A. D. 1745. 

I^OTE. — At a church council held in Ephrata, Beissel, and 
his associates, had determined to break the bell and inter tlie 
fragments ; however, on a night's reflection, it was resolved to 
dispose of it differently: the bell was pardoned from its do- 
creed fate, and sold to the Lutherans, at Lancaster. We quote 
the Chomican Ephratense : " Um diesselbe zeit, 1745, kam die 
ansehnliche Glocke in Philadelphia an von England, welche 
die Eckerlin sollen bestellt haben, folgendes motto war um 
dieselbe gegossen : Suh auspicio viri venerandi Onesimi Socie- 
tasis Epliratensis Praepositi: Auf diese empfangene Nachricht 
ward Rath gehalten in des Vorstehers Gegenwart, welcher 
fur die Glocke sehr unguenstig ausfiel: dasz sie solte in 
stuecken zerschlagen, und unter die erde vergraben werden; 
aber wie sie solte bezahlt werden, wusste niemand, dann sie 
kostete 80 pfund. Des andern Morgens erschien der Vorsteher 
abermal im Rath, und sagte: Er haette nachgedacht, weil die 
Brueder arm waeren, solte die Glocke pardonirt werden, und 
also ist sie an die Lutherische Kirche, in Lancasterkommen. — 
Chron. Eph. p. 164. 



^24 HISTORY OP 

afterwards moved to Virginia, where they ohtained 
some notoriety in connection with the Indian affairs, — 
Tiie society Avas wedded to apostolic simplicity; they 
desired no tower — no bells. They refused to have a 
bell to call them to meeting, even the midnight meeting, 
which was regularly held at twelve o'clock: Friedsam 
contending that the spirit of devotion ought to be suffi- 
cient to make them punctual to the hour, which generally 
proved to be adequate. 

" The community was a republic, in which all stood 
upon perfect equality and freedom. No monastic voivs 
were taken, neither had they any written covenants, as 
is common in the Baptist churches. The New Testa- 
ment was their confession of faith, their code of laws, 
and clmrcli discipUne. The property which belonged 
to the society, by donation, and the labor of the single 
brethren and sisters, was common stock; but none was 
obliged to throw in his own property, or to give up any 
possessions. The society was supported by the income 
of the form and grist mill, paper mill, oil mill, fulling 
mill, and the labor of the brethren and sisters, in the 
cloister. 

Many of the male membei's were men of education, 
and the school which they had established, attracted 
attention abroad; young men from Baltimore and of 
Philadelphia, were sent to this place to be educated. — 
Ludwig Hacker, the teacher of the common school, 
projected the plan of holding a school in the afternoons 
of the Sabbath, or Saturday, and who, in connexion 
with some of the brethren, commenced it, to give instruc- 
tion to the indigent children who were kept from regular 
scliool by employments which their necessities obliged 
them to be engaged at during the week, as well as to 
give religious instruction to those of better circum- 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 225 

Btances. The precise time when this school was estab- 
lished, is not known; it was after 1739. 

The society, after an existence of fifty years, began to 
decUne, from some cause, which we have not been able 
to learn. Some say that Beissel's successor, Peter Miller, 
wanted vigor of mind. This, says Doctor Fahnestock, 
is not, he believes, the cause ; for he assured us, in a 
conversation with him on this subject, in 1 S3 6, so far as 
he could learn, Peter Miller was a man of much greater 
powers of mind than Beissel, and that he had the 
management of the establishment during Beissel's time f 
and to whose energy and perseverance is mainly 
attributable the great prosperity of the institution in its 
early days. 

That Miller was a man of more than ordinary powers 
of mind, is evident from the testimony of the Rev. 
Jedediah Andrews, an alumnus of Havard College, of 
the class of 1695, Andrews speaking of Miller, in a 
letter, dated Philadelphia, 8th, 14th, 1730. . 

"There is lately come over a Palatine candidate of the 
ministry, who having applied to us at the Synod (Scotch 
Synod) for ordination, 'tis left to three ministers, (these 
were Tenant, Andrews and Boyd), to do it. He is an 
extraordinary person for sense and learning. We gave 
him a question to discuss about Justification^ and he 
answered it, in a whole sheet of paper, in a very notable 
manner. His name is John Peter Miller, and speaks 
Latin as readily as we do our vernacular tongue, and so 
does the other, Mr. Weiss."t 

•Bcisscl died July 6th, 1768, aged 77 years and 4 months. — 
He was a native of Oberbach, in the Palatinate. 

tGeorge Michael Weiss, was born at Stebback, in Neckar- 
thal, Germany. Mr. Miller and he were fellow students at 
Heildelberg. Weiss came to America, some years before 



226 nisTorcY of 

At an early period, they established a German printing- 
office, Avhich enabled them to distribute tracts and 
hymns, and afterwards to print several large works, in 
which the views of the founder are fully explained. — 
Many of these books have been lost and destroyed. In 
the Revolutionary war, just before the battle of Ger- 
mantown, three wagon loads of books, 271 sheets, were 
seized and taken away for cartriges. They came to the 
paper mill to get paper, and not finding any there, they 
pressed the books in sheets. The printing press, used 
then, is now in possession of R. R. Heitler, Esq., at 
Ephrata. 

" Music was much cultivated. Beissel was a first rate 
musician and composer. In composing sacred music he 
took his style from the music of Nature, and the whole 
comprising several large volumes are founded on the 
tones of the Aeolian harp ; the singing is the Aeolian 
harp harmonized; it is very peculiar in its style and 
concords, and in its execution. The tones issuing from 
the choir imitate very soft instrumental music ; convey- 
ing a softness and devotion almost super-human to the 

Miller finished his studies. Before Miller's ordination, Weiss 
had been Pastor of the German Reformed congregation, in 
Philadelphia, and about that time, in company with an Elder, 
named Reif, visited Holland, and other parts of Europe, for 
the purpose of making collections in aid of the feeble congre- 
gations, in Pennsylvania. 

Mr. Miller, Weiss, and John Bartholomew Rieger, fellow 
students, were on terms of intimacy, at home and in America. 
Rieger was a native of Oberingelheim, Palatinate. He 
studied at Basel and Heidelberg, arrived in America, in 1731^ 
and afterwards settled in Lancaster county ; he had charge of 
several German Reformed congregations in this county. He 
died at Lancaster, March 14, 17G9, aged 62 years, 2 months 
and 4 days; buried in the German Reformed church grave- 
yard. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 227 

auditor. Their music is set in four, six, and eight parts. 
All the parts, save the bass, are lead and sung exclusive- 
ly by females, the men being confined to the bass, which 
is set in two parts, the high and the low bass — the latter 
resembling the deep tones of the organ, and the first, in 
combination with one of the female parts, is an excellent 
imitation of the concert horn. The whole is sung on the 
falsetto voice, the signers scarcely opening their mouths, 
or moving their lips, which throws the voice up to the 
ceiling, which is not high, and the tones, which seem to 
be more than human, at least so far from common church 
singing appears to be entering from above, and hovering 
over the heads of the assembly. ^^ 

The reader may form some idea of their music from 
the following extract of a letter written by a tourist 
duiing the proprietary administration of Governor 
Penn : " The counter, treble, tenor, and bass, were all 
sung by women, with sweet, shrill, and small voices, but 
with a truth and exactness in time and intonation that 
was admirable. It is impossible to describe to your 
Lordship, my feelings upon this occasion. The per- 
formers sat with their heads reclined, their countenances 
solemn and dejected, their faces pale and emaciated from 
their manner of living, the clothing exceeding white and 
quite picturesqe, and their music such as thrilled to the 
very soul ; I almost began to think myself in the world 
of spirits, and that the objects before me were ethereal. 
In short, the impression this scene made upon my mind, 
continued strong for many days, and I believe, will never 
be wholly obliterated." 

Tliis music is lost, entirely now, at Ephrata ; not the 
music books, but the style of singing; they never 
attempt it any more. It is, however, still preserved and 
finely executed, though in a faint degree, at Snow hilly 



S2S HISTORY OV 

in Franklin county, where there is a branch of th-e 
society, and which is now the principal settlement of 
the Seventh Day Baptists.* 

This society attracted considerable attention. Men of 
various rank and standing visited the place. 

George Thomas, formerly an Antigua planter, ap- 
pointed in 1737, Governor of the province of Pennsyl- 
vania, visited Ephrara, in 1741. He came, says Peter 
Miller, accompanied by a retinue of twenty horses, and a 
large number of distinguished gentlemen from Maryland 
and Virginia; they were all honorably received by the 
brethren. The Governor said he was much gratified to 
see such an institution. He spoke very favorably of 
their religious and economical arrangements. The 
motives of visit, it is believed, were sinister. Without 
doubt, he gained the object of his visit more easily by 
adulation than he would have otherwise. At this time, 
the talented, and active Conrad Weiser, was a member 
of the association. It was the Governor's object, if 
possible, to secure once more the services of this man in 
a capacity, for which he seems to have been felicitously 
suited, that of an Indian interpreter. He tendered him 
the appointment of justice of the peace, which he 
accepted. Weiser frequently presided at court, as 
chief justice, tvith his bearclA He was afterwards 
appointed provincial interpreter, in which capacity, he 
rendered his country essential services for many years. — 
Governor William Denny, spent some time time here, in 

•The leading religious tenets ef this society, may be seen in 
a work, entitled, "He Pasa Ecclesia," published by Rupp, 
Clyde & Willianns, Octavo, 900 pages, 1843. 

fMan hat ihn, C. W. auch auf der Court als obersten Richter 
gesehen unter Krone sitzen mit seinem gewoehnlichen|Bard. — 
Chr<m, Eph., 68. 



LANCASTER COTJNTT. 229 

1756, and through an mterpreter, had a long conversa- 
with Beissel, touching the condition of the country. 

Peter Miller was a native of Oberant Lantern, came 
to America in 1730 ; soon after his arrival, was ordained 
by a Scotch Synod, at Philadelphia; received as a mem- 
ber of the Society at Ephrata, by being baptized in 1735, 
and remained sixty-one years, to the day of his death, 
September 25, 1796, a member thereof. — His remains 
rest in the grave yard at that place. 

He was well known in the religious and literary 
world. It is said, he translated the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence into seven languages. His correspondence was 
extensive ; he was visited by hundreds : General Lee, 
David Rittenhouse, Count Zinzendorf, and several noble- 
men of Europe, have been the guests of the establishment. 
We have space to insert a few of his correspondents' 
communications. The first is from a female; the other 
is " a rhymic effusion,^ ^ by a young gentleman of Phila- 
delphia, written many years ago, in consequence of a 
visit he made Peter Miller, and to whom he dedicated 
the Poem. 

September 29th, 1774. 
Sir: — Your very respectable character would make me 
ashamed to addres you with words merely of form. — 
I hope, therefore, you will not suspect me of using any 
such, when I assure you, I received the favor of your let- 
ter with great pleasure. And permit me, sir, to join the 
thanks I owe to those worthy women, the holy sisters at 
Ephrata, with those I now present to you, for the good 
opinion you and they may have of me. I claim only 
that of respecting merit, when I find it ; and of wishing 
an increase in the world, of that piety to the Almighty, 
and peace to our fellow-creatures, that I am convinced is 
in your hearts; and, therefore, do me the justice to 

20 



230 HISTORY OF 

believe, you have my wishes of prosperity here, and 
happiness hereafter. 

I did not receive the precious stone, you were so good 
to send me, mitil yesterday. I am most extremely 
obUged to you for it. It deserves to be particularly 
distinguished, on its own, as well as the giver's account. 
I shall keep it with grateful remembrance of my obliga- 
tions to you. 

Mr. Pemi, as well as myself, were much obliged to 
you for remarking to us, that the paper you wrote on, 
was the manufacture of Ephrata. It had, on that ac- 
comit, great merit to us ; and he has desired our friend, 
Mr. Barton, to send him some specimens of the occupa- 
tion of some of your society. I heard him say, that he 
rejoices to hear of your and their w^elfare. 

It is I, that should beg pardon for interrupting your 
quiet, and profitable moments, by an intercourse so little 
beneficial as mine ; but trust your benevolence will in- 
dulge this satisfaction to one who wishes to assm'e you, 
sir, that she is, with smcere regard, your obliged and 
faithful well wisher. 

JULIANNA PENN. 

'■ TO PETER MILLER, PRINCIPAL OF THE SOCIETY OF DUNKERS 
AT EPHRATA." 

Th' Eternal God from his exalted throne, 
vSurveys at once, earth, heav'n, and worlds unknown — 
All things tliat are, before his piercing eye, 
Like the plain tracings of a picture lie — 
Unutter'd thoughts, deep in the heart conceal'd. 
In strong expression stand to him reveal'd — 
Thousands and twice ten thousands, every day, 
To Him or feign'd or real homage pay — 
Like clouds of incense rolling to the skies, 
In various forms their supplications rise. 

Their various forms to him no access gain — 



LANCASTER COUNTT- 231 

Without the Heart's true incense all are vain ; 
The suppliant's secret motives there appear, 
The genuine source of every offer'd prayer, 

vSome place Religion on a throne superb, 
And deck with jewels her resplendent garb ; 
Painting and sculpture all their powers display, 
And lofty tapers shed a lambent ray. 
High on the full-ton'd organ's sv/elling sound, 
The pleasing anthem floats serenely round; 
Harmonic strains their thrilling pow'rs combine, 
And lift the soul to ecstacy divine. 

In Ephrata's deep gloom you fix your seat, 
And seek Religion in the dark retreat; 
In sable weeds you dress the heav'n-born maid, 
And place her pensive in the lonely shade ; 
Recluse, unsocial, you, your hours employ, 
And fearful, banish every harmless joy. 

Each may admire and use their fav'rite form. 
If Heav'n's own flame their glowing bosoms warm. 
If love divine of God and man be there, 
The deep-felt want that forms the ardent prayer, 
The grateful sense of blessings freely given. 
The boon, unsought, unmerited of Heav'n, 
'Tis true devotion — and the Lord of Love, 
Such pray'rs and praises kindly will approve, 
Whether from golden altars they arise, 
And wrapt in sound and mcense reach the skies ; 
Or from your Eplirata, so meek, so low, 
In soft and silent aspirations flow. 

Oh! let the Christian bless that glorious day, 
When outward forms shall all be done away, 
When we, in spirit and in truth alone, 
Shall bend, God ! before thy awful throne, 
And thou our purer worship shalt approve, 
By sweet returns of everlasting love. 

What yet remains of Ephrata, is worthy a long 
journey to be seen; "its weather beaten walls; upon 



232 HISTORY OF 

which the tooth of time has been gnawing for nearif 
one and a half century, are crumbUng to pieces, render- 
ing it more interesting from its antiquity. "Many traces 
of the olden time remain, but its life has departed. — 
There are, however, many delightful associations con-^ 
nected with the mouldering walls, and like some of the 
dilapidated castles, which are apparently falling to the 
ground, deserted and given to the rooks and owls, yet it 
contains many habitable and comfortable apartments." 
These are occupied by several single sisters, one of 
whom, sister Barbara, has been here fifty-five years;. 
but under different Government; in former days the 
whole property and income belonged exclusively to the 
single brethren and sisters ; but now by legislative 
enactment is invrested in all the members, single and mar- 
ried. The sisters, since this enactment, in the convent, 
are not supported out of the common stock and their 
common labor, but each has house-room, which all the 
married members are entitled to, who require it, as well 
as firewood, flour and milk, from the society, who still 
possess some land and a mill, and their labor they 
apply to their own use, or dispose of it as they see proper." 
We state, with regret, that the prescribed limits of this 
work, preclude a detailed account of this highly in- 
teresting association. 

The descendants of those who were connected at an 
early date, are numerous, and many of them influencial 
in society. The principal ones connected with the 
society, in early existence, were "Conrad Beissel, Urner^ 
Landis, Lang, Meylin, Graff, Weber, Grebil. Funk, 
Eicher, Nacgly, Frey, Wolfart, Gass, Hildebrand, Hoehn, 
Sigmund, Landart, Peter Miller, Conrad W^eiser, Heur- 
man, Zinn, Hoecker, Pettikoffer, Gorgas, Mack, Ries- 
man, Eckstein, Kinsing, Eckerlin, Heipel, Koch, Meyer, 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 233 

Hc/rdie^ Stretch, Pear col, Derlorongh, Griffyth, Peas- 
cify, Rogger, Seymour, Hackly, these ivere English — 
Philip Beiisel, Lohman, Kimmel, Sangmeister, Hoellerir 
thai, Martin, Horn, Koenig, Beller, Hummer, Senseman, 
and others, who all were members prior to the death of 
C. Beissel, who died Jmie Gth, 1768. 

Note. — We shall close this chapter with a list of the names 
of land-holders (not before mentioned) who settled at an early- 
date, within the present limits of the county, some before, 
others shortly after, Lancaster county had been erected. For 
the. want of information, the list is necessarily limited. Those 
named, all settled prior to 1735. Among these, in various 
parts of the county, were the Roddyes, Craigheads, Towsten- 
beriers, Cooksons, Mave^;, Jervis, McCawlys, Storys, Greens, 
Whitehills, Hermans, Irwins, AYolfs, Bezoars, Venericks, 
Ritters, Millseps, Royers, AVoolricks, Houslemans, Byerlys, 
Simons, Palmers, Poutchs, Kitchs, Travengers, Linders, 
Verdrees, Wises, ^rnctl?,.JS-ingers, Stoners, Alberts, Beards, 
Pendalis, Kores, Ovvcns, Eaves, Thornburys, Marshalis, 
Brickers, Lertys, Jacksons, Beesons, Nessleys, Swoops, Beai-s, 
Emmets, Herseys, Astons, Steers, M'Nabbs, Smiths, Beckers, 
Forneys, Rowlands, Weidlers, Elroods, Stumps, Sneyelys, 
Eberles, Oikelbergers, AVypreights, Finks, 'Longs, Llndseys, 
Kings, Reads, Wells, Blyths, Fullsrtons, Mo_9res^ Francis, 
McKanes, Dehoofs, Goi^ghnours, Lines, Dyers, Hictts, Stam- 
bach, Eumgarncrs, Hoffs, Noacres, Lytles, Darbys, Douglas, • 
Sturm, Echman, Guy, Philips, Basler, Shinover, Scroop, 
Varner, Mackrclls, Shiilys, Turners, Hoffman^, Knowls, Whit- 
mers, Kinrighs,Burkhards, Leepharts, Pleystows, Weightmans, 
Burkhunters, Andersons, Piggots, Wiesenants, E]acks, Leon- 
ards, Steels, Ramsays, Sypes, Lyncks, Lowdciis, lUusseimans., 
Matthews, McClanaghans, Staigys, Bradcns, Burtons, Gales, 
Cowens, Robinsons, Murrajs, Bensons, Shannons, Browns, 
Kellys, Allisons, Eddys, Fultons, Mitchells of Sadsbury, Fos«- 
ters, Graypeels, Shryers, Ciinehaws, Harnist, Webbs, Reiffs, 
Watsons, Montgomerys, McCardys, LeRues, Adlumns, Clem- 
sons, Conodes, Plumbs, ShiefFers, Warders, Dennings, Reists, 
Slemmans, Armors, Templemans, McConnels, Sensineys, 
Tillers, Hustons, Meixclls, Goers, Wolfspanicrs, Baughmans, 

20* 



234 HISTORY OP 

Ters, Hennings, Andrews, McNealys, Rudeneglee, Kitzmillers, 
Le Chaars, Bushans, Roodes, Birshings, Jacks, Flemmings, 
M'Clellands, Howards, Ellmakers, Adams, Haines, Haltzingers, 
Tettenhauers, Hokenbracks, Davisons, Bishairs, Seldenridge, 
Saunders, Sherrards, Molers, Stinsons, Rancks, Keysers, 
Sherks, Davids, Paxtons of Sadsbury, Robertsons, Coxs, Heis- 
tandts. Fences, Painters, Pouts, Livistones, Kellers, Wingers, 
Lightners, Bombergers, Kreils, McGarrys, Shallybergers, Hig- 
genbothems, Evalts, Walters, Middletons, Hanricks, Heys, 
Baldwyns, Campbells, Vanleres, Stiles, Musgroves, Balls, 
McKimms, Phillips, PegeHisV'Brittans, Dj^ers, Dieffenbachs, 
Gillmores, Boyds, Overs, Georges, Lambs, Bishops, Stritchs, 
Krebs, Hastings, Alexanders, McNealys, Kahoons, Hudsons, 
Wendels, Feezers, Westhavers, Cufiroots, Weitmans, Lloyds, 
Lyncks, Hewstons, Berriers, Buchanans, Saudters, Sherricks, 
Perrys, Cumptons, Reynolds, Moffats, Moodys, Allinsons, 
McClenns, Littles, Shennons, Classprinners, Klings, Griffiths, 
Shizlers, Hendersons, McClures, Hughes, Thomes, Walters, 
Duffields, Stetters, Kates, Cralls, Hollers, Crawfords, Dennys, 
Scotts, Baltens, Brackens, McPhersons, Pennocks, Rippys, 
Daws, Walkers, Rohrers, Richardsons, Linvilles, Walls, Gaills, 
Ross, Postlewhaits, Pughs, Beckott, Encks, Lnbles, Boosons, 
Kyles, Bauds, Elis, Blackshaws, Doughertys. 



LANCASTER COUNTT- 235 



THIRD PART, 



FROM THE ORGANIZATION OF LANCASTER COUNTY, ONE 
THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE. 



CHAPTER I. 



Erection and organization of the county — Boundaries of — Seat of Justice — 
James Annesly — Boundaries of townships— First court held at Postle- 
whaites — Extracts of court records — Morris Cannaday indicted — Found 
guilty and sold — Constables, Overseers and Supervisors appointed — 
Applicants to be Indian traders — 'Petitions for license to sell rum — First 
court held at Lancaster — Conrad VVeiser, notice of — INotes, &c. 

Settlements on both sides of the Susquehanna, 
especially on the eastern, having been extended and 
greatly augmented by the influx of a mixed population; 
emigrations from abroad and natives of the province ; 
the inhabitants of the upper parts of Chester county 
deemed it necessary as early as 1628, to avoid inconve- 
niencies arising daily from the want ^^ of justice at every 
maii's^^ to petition the proper authorities, to erect and 
establish a new county. Petitions were accordingly 
forwarded to the council at Philadelphia, February* 6th, 
1728-9, and received due consideration. 



236 HISTORY OP 

"At a council held at Philadelphia, February 6th, 
1728-9: Present, the Hon. Patrick Gordon, Esq., Lieut. 
Governor of Pennsylvania, and James Logan, Richard 
Hill, Isaac Norris, Samuel Preston, William Fishbourn, 
Clement Plumsted, Samuel Hazle, Esquires ; a petition 
of the inhabitants of the upper parts of Chester county 
was laid before the board and read, setting forth that by 
reason of their great distance from the county town, 
where courts are held, offices are kept, and annual elec- 
tions made, they lie under very great inconveniences, 
being obliged, in the recovery of their just debts, to 
travel near one hundred miles^ to obtain a v/rit; that for 
want of a sufficient number of justices, constables and 
other officers, in those parts, no care is taken of the 
high-ways ; townships are not laid out, nor bridges built, 
when there is an apparent necessity for them; and 
further, that for want of a gaol there, several vagabonds 
and other dissolute people harbor among them, thinlving 
themselves safe from justice in so remote a place; and 
therefore praying that a division line be made between 
the upper and lower part of said county, and the upper 
part thereof erected into a county, with all the immu- 
nities, rights and privileges which any other county of 
this province does enjoy. 

*'The board taking the same into consideration, are of 
opinion, that the Governor is fully empowered by virtue 
of his commission, to grant the prayer of the petition, if 
the same shall appear necessary ; but as it is a matter of 
some moment, and will require a mature deliberation, it 

*Thc courts, &c. were held at Upland or Chester, on Dela- 
ware river, 15 miles S. W. from Philadelphia. Upland is an 
ancient place. The first adventurers under Penn landed here, 
Dec. 11, 1682. It was also the seat of the first legislature after 
the arrival of William Pcnn. 



LANCASTER COUNTY, 237 

was maved and agreed that the further consideration 
thereof should be deferred till to-morrow at nine o'clock* 
beforenoon, to which time the council is adjourned." 

" Council met next day — the minutes of the three pre- 
ceeding councils being read and approved, the board 
according to order entered into the consideration of the 
petition in the minutes of yesterday, touching the 
division of Chester county, and after the same had 
been fully considered and debated, the board came to 
the following resolution : That, as well for as reasons set 
forth in the said petition, as the security, peace and good 
order of the whole government, there doth appear a real 
necessity that a new county should be erected, according 
to the prayer of said petition ; and although the power 
of erecting counties is wholly vested in the proprietary, 
and therefore in the Governor, or his lieutenant, yet, in- 
asmucli as this will requirs the establishment of courts 
of judicature, with other alterations, for which a due 
provision will best be made by a law ; it may be 
convenient that the government acquaint the House of 
Representatives now sitting, with the application made 
to him, that the same may be carried on with, and 
strengthened by the joint and mianimous concurrence of 
the whole Legislature." 

"At a council held at Philadelphia, February 20th, 
1728-9. The minutes of the preceeding council being 
read and approved, the Governor informed the board 
that pursuant to the resolution of the last council, he had 
acquainted the House of Representives with his inten- 
tion to erect the upper part of the county of Chester 
into a separate county, in which they had concurred and 
desired that an equal number of the inhabitants of the 
lower and upper part might run the division line ; and 
therefore, he was now to recommend to the board to 



238 HISTORY OF 

chose fit and well qualified persons for that service, and 
to consider of proper directions for their guidance 
therein; and after due consideration thereof: 

^Tis Ordered That, Henry Hayes, Samuel Nutt. 
Saniuel Hollingsworth, Philip Taylor, Elisha GatcheL, 
James James, John Wright, Tobias Hendricks, Samuel 
Blunston, Andrew Cornish, Thomas Edwards and John 
Musgrove, or a major part of them, calling to their 
assistance John Taylor, the surveyor of Chester county, 
meet at some convenient place near Octoraro creek or 
river, and cause a marked line to be run from the most 
northerly or main branch of the said creek northv/ard, or 
to tlie east or west thereof, as it shall be found most con- 
venient, to the next high ridge of barren or uninhabited 
hills that lead from thence to Schuylkill river, keeping as- 
near as may be to the right of said hills, and to proceed 
along the ridge thereof, yet with as fe.w changes in the 
course as their situation will admit, and fixing the same 
to the most conspicuous, natural and durable marks, tliat 
may be least subject to uncertainty or variation ; to be 
bounded southward by the southern bounds of the prov- 
ince, and eastwardly the said Octoraro creek ; and from 
tlience the northern line to be by them run as aforesaid, 
to the said hills, from thence the said line along the said 
hills to Schuylkill, and from thence to the main northern 
or easterly branch thereof, above the forks of said river, 
to lie open on the westAvard, till further orders shall be 
given therein ; and to make report of their proceedings 
to this board. 

"At a council held at Philadelphia, May 2d, 1729: — 
Pi'esent, the Hon. Patrick Gordon, Esq., Lieut. Governor 
Richard Hill, William Fishbourn, Clement Plumstcd, 
Thomas Lawrence and Samuel H^zle, Esquires. A 
return being made by the order, dated the 20th February 



LANCASTER COTJNTY. 239 

last, for miming a division line in the county of Chester, 
and settUng the boundaries of the county to he erected 
in the back parts of this province towards Susquehanna, 
pursuant to the minutes of council of the 20th of said 
February, the same was read, approved and confirmed, 
and is in these words : 

"Pursuant to a warrant from the Hon. Patrick 
Gordon, Esq., Lieut. Governor of the province of Penn- 
sylvania, and counties of New Castle, Kent and Sussex, 
upon Delaware, bearing date the 22d day of February 
last past, We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, 
met together on the 17th day of March, 172S-9, near 
tlie head of the northern branch of Octoraro creek, and 
with the assistance of John Taylor, Surveyor of tlie 
county of Chester, run a line from the said branch to tlie 
river Schuylkill, according to the courses following, viz.: 
Beginning on a corner marked white oak standing on the 
eastern side of the said branch, on the land of John 
Minshall, thence north-east by north, five hundred and 
eight perches to a chesnut oak standing on the top of a 
barren mountain at the head of the branches of the said 
Octoraro creek, thence along the said mountain, north- 
east by east, three hundred and forty perches to a chest- 
nut tree, thence north north-east, four hundred and forty 
perches to a white oak by a branch of Pequea creel^ 
thence continuing the same course along the said moim- 
tain four hundred and eight perches to a chestnut oak, 
thence north by east seven hundred perches to a white 
oak near a small branch of Brandywine creek, thence 
north by west six hundred and sixteen perches to a 
diestnut tree standing on the top of a mountain at tire 
head of the western branch of the said Brandywine 
creek, thence east north-east along the said mountain 
two tlrousand two hundred and twenty perches to a 



240 HISTORY OF 

chestnut tree near the western branch of the French 
creek, thence northeast by east three hundred and fifty 
perches to a red oak, thence north east one hundred and 
ninety perches to a chestnut oak near another branch of 
the said French creek, thence north east by north two 
thousand one hundred perches to a corner marked white 
oak, standing by the said river Schuylkill, about three 
quarters of a mile below the house of John Burroughs. 

Henry Hayes, Samuel Hollingsworth, Philip Taylor, 
Elisha Gatchel, James James, John Wright, Tobias 
Hendricks, Samuel Blunston, Andrew Cornish, Thomas 
Edwards, John Musgrove. 

"And the upper parts of the province described as 
aforesaid, are hereby declared to be erected, and are 
accordingly erected into a county by the name of 
Lancaster County.* And 'tis ordered that the same 
be signified to the House of Representatives, and the 
return laid before them for their direction in describing 
the boundaries thereof in the bill now before them for 
estabhshing courts of judicature, &c. within the same. 

"May 8th, 1729, the governor recommended to the 
board to consider of proper persons to be appointed 
justices of the peace of the said county of Lancaster, 
and the following persons were named justices, viz : — 
John Wright, Tobias Hendricks, Samuel Blunston, 
Andrew Cornish, Thomas Edwards, Caleb Pierce, 
Thomas Reid, and Samuel Jones, Esqrs. 

*Lancaster county was named by John Wright — "When 
Lancaster county was laid off from Chester, my grand father, 
says William Wright of Columbia, in a letter to George Ford, 
Esq., gave it, its name, after the county he came from in Eng- 
land." Wright came from Lancashire, England, in 1714, and 
settled in Chester; in 1726 he moved to, and settled on the 
Susquehanna, at Columbia. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 241 

Robert Barber was likewise appointed sheriff, and 
.\ndrew Galbraith, Coroner; and commissioners were 
ordered to be proposed accordingly. 

" May 10th, 1729, the House of Representatives waited 
e^i the Governor, and the Speaker presented a hill passed 
into a laiv, which was accordingly by the Governor 
passed into a law of this province. Be it enacted^ That 
all and singular the lands within the province of Penn- 
sylvania, lying to the northward of Octoraro creek, and 
to the westward of a line of marked trees, running from 
the north branch of said Octoraro creek, northeasterly to 
the river Schuylkill, be erected into a county, and the 
same is hereby erected into a county, named, and from 
henceforth to be called Lancaster County ; and the said 
Octoraro creek the line of marked trees. From the sub- 
sequent organization of other counties the original boun- 
daries of Lancaster have been altered. 

"At a council held at Philadelphia, Feb. IS, 1729-30. — 
The Governor acquainted the board that whereas, by the 
law for erecting Lancaster county, John Wright, Caleb 
Pierce, Thomas Edwards and James JNlitchell, or any 
three of them, are empoAvered to purchase for the use of 
the said comity, a convenient piece of land to be ap- 
proved of by the Governor, and thereon to build a court 
house and prison, and that now the said John Wright, 
Caleb Pierce and James jNIitchell, have by a certificate 
under their hands, signified that they have agreed upon 
a lot of land for the use aforesaid, lying on or near a 
s^xlall run of water, between the plantations of Rudy 
Mire,* Michael Shank and Jacob Imble, about ten miles 

*Rudy Mire had settled here about the year 1712. It is said, 
his son Abraham was the eighth white child born in Lancaster 
county. Abraham was a minister of the Mennonite denomi- 
nation, and the first German Scrivener in Lancaster. Though 

21 



242 HISTORY OF 

from Susquehanna river, and prayed his approbation of 
the same. The Governor therefore referred the matter 
to the consideration of the board, whether the situation 
of die place those gentlemen had pitched on for a town 
might be fit to be confirmed, and that a town should 
accordingly be fixed there. But the question being 
asked to whom the land they had made choice of now 
belongs, and who has the property of it, because it may 
be in such hands as will part with, or at least, on 
reasonable terms for that use, and this not being known 
by any at the board, it was deferred till such time as that 
could be ascertained. But as it is presumed for any 
thing that is yet known, to be unsurveyed land, and that 
the right is only in the proprietor, it is the opinion of the 
board, that it is more proper to be granted by the 
proprietor for such uses, than by any other person. 

Mem. — "The Governor having understood that the 
right of the land pitched upon for the toivnstead of Lan- 
caster^ remains yet in the proprietaries, was advised to 
approve of the place agreed on by Messrs. Wright, 
Pierce and Mitchel, and the same was confirmed ac- 
cordingly by a writing dated May 1st, 1730. 

According to tradition, it appears, "that on the division 
of the county, a contention arose as to the most suitable 
location for the seat of Justice. Wright's Ferry was 

A*braham was a defenceless Mernonitej bis son Christian took a 
decided and active part with the Whigs in the Revolution ; he 
w^as an officer in the army. The sword) with which he so val- 
iantly defended his country, was presented by his widow, to a 
relative, to Capt. George Eichholtz, while in the service of the 
United States in 1814. 

John Jacob Eichholtz, grandfather of Capt. George, was 
married to Christian Meyer's sister. Mr. Eichholtz was wag* 
onmaster at the time of Braddock's defeat; and it is said, upon 
good authority, the first brick-maker in Lancaster county. 



LANCASTER COUNTr. 243 

Strenuously recommended. So confident was the first 
sheriff of the county, who resided at Wright's Ferry, 
that the seat would be fixed there, "that he had a strong 
wooden building put up near his residence, which was 
intended for the county jail. It is only a few years since 
this building was pulled down."* 

"Postlewhait's, from its being an old settlement, (now 
Jacob FehPs, Esq.,) the original site of an Indian 
wigwam, appearing to possess superior advantages, a 
temporary court house of logs and jail were there 
erected." Courts, as will appear from the records, were 
held at Postlewhait's, till August term, 1730, and after- 
wards at Lancaster. 

"Governor Hamilton made an offer of two places, 
tlie old 'Indian Field,' 'High Plain,' 'Gibson's Pasture,' 
* Sanderson's Pasture;' the other the 'Waving Hills,' 
embosomed in wood, bounded by " Roaring Brook,' on 
the west. The road from Philadelphia to Harris's 
Ferry, passed through the centre. Gibson resided near 
a fine spring, with a large hickory tree before his door. — 
This was the favorite tree of the Indian tribe who lived 
in the vicinity, and were called by the whites from that 
Qircumstance, the ' Hickory Indians.' 

"There were two swamps, one called the 'Dark 
Hazel Swamp,' t nearly in the centre of the proposed 

•Rev. D. Goheen, 

f»'The Dark Hazel Swamp was attempted to be cleareij 
from wood, and a drain made to carry ofl' the water, in the 
yeaj 1745." 

Note.— "James, afterwards Lord Altham, was confined t» 
tU prison erected at Wright's Ferry. The history of this indi- 
vidual is curious, and illustrates the remark, ''Truth is stranger 
than fiction.'" The individual, the subject of this note, came to 
this country in 1728, when quite young, and served his time as 



244 HISTORY OF 

town ; the other, ' The Long Swamp/ runnmg from a 
south westerly direction through the northern hmits to 
'Roaring Brook.' ^^ 

After the county had been erected, justices, sheriffs, 
aaid other officers appointed, a meeting was held the 9th 
of June, 1729, by magistrates and inhabitants of the 
county, to settle and agree upon the names and bounda- 
ries of townships. The following names and bounda- 
ries were agreed on, and confirmed by the Court of 
Quarter Sessions, held the first Tuesday in August, 
1729. 

Drumore. — The township of Drumore, beginning at 
tlie south line of Sadsbury by Octoraro, thence down 
the said creek to the province line towards Maryland, 
tlience up the Sasquehanah to the mouth of Muddy run, 
thence by the said run to Richard Booson's land, and 
from thence on a direct course to the south-west corner 
of John Kyle's land on Sadsbury line, and by the said 
line to the place of beginning. 

James Annesly, with a farmer on the Lancaster road. From 
some cause he ran away from his master ; and was caught and 
confined in the jail at Columbia. He was a fine singer, and 
the neighbors frequently visited the prison to hear him sing. 
The events of his life furnished the ground work for ^'Roderick 
Random^'''' and the popular novel of ^^Florence McCartey.^' The 
facts concerning this singular case are taken from the evidence 
given on his trial and may be relied on as authentic. 

"Arthur Annesley (Lord Altham) married Mary Sheffield, 
natural daughter of the earl of Buckingham. By her, in the 
year 1715, he had a son, James, the subject of these remarks. 
In the next year, the parents had some differences, which ter- 
minated in separation. The father, contrary to the wish of the 
mother, took exclusive possession of his son James, and man- 
ifested much fondness for him, until the year 1722, when he 
formed some intimacy with Mrs. Gregory. His wife died 
about the same time. Miss Gregory expecting now to become 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 245 

Sadsbury. — The township of Sadsbury, by the county 
Une at the mountain which divides Octoraro and Pequea, 
thence westerly along the said mountain to the north- 
west corner of John Kyle's land, thence by said land tc 
the south-west corner, and from thence south 200 
perches, thence east to Octoraro, thence up the said 
cotmty line, and along the said line to said place of 
beginning. 

Martock. — The township of Martock, beginning at 
the mouth of Muddy run, thence up SasqueL^,uah to 
Pequea, thence up Pequea to the mouth of Great Beaver 
creek, thence up the said creek to Sadsbury line, thence 
by the said line to John Kyle's corner aforesaid, thence 
by Drumore township to the place of beginning. 

Conostoga. — The township of Conostoga, begin- 
ning at the mouth of Pequea, thence up Sasquehanah, 
to said mouth of Conestogoe creek, thence up the said 
creek to the mouth of Mill creek, thence by a direct line 

his wife, exerted herself to alienate his affections from his son, 
by insinuating that he was not his lawful child. She succeeded 
to get him placed from home, at a school in Dublin. In No- 
vember, 1727, Lord Altham died; and his brother Pvichard 
wishing to possess the estate and title, took measures to get rid 
erf* his nephew, James, by having him entered on board of an 
American vessel which sailed from Dublin in April, 1728. He 
was landed at Philadelphia, then in his thirteenth year, and 
sold as a redemptioner! and actually served out twelve years 
af his time in rough labor, when a seeming accident, in the 
year 1740, brought him to such acquaintances as led, in the 
next year to his return home. The case was as follows : — Two 
Irishmen, John and V/illiam Broders, travelling the Lancaster 
road in 1740, stopped at the house near the forty mile s^one, 
where James was in service with an old German. These coun- 
trymen entering into conversation perceived that they were 
severally from Dumaine, in the county of Wexford, and that 
James Annesly was the son of Arthur. The two Broders vol- 
unteered to go back to Ireland, and testify to the disco very» 

21* 



HISTORY OP 

quea at the mouth of Beaver creek, thence down 

a to the place of begmning. * 

PFiELD. — The township of Hempfield, begmning 

outh of Conestoga, thence up Sasquehanah to 

^jnge, thence up the said creek to Peters- Road 

^g Cabins, thence to Little Conestoga, and 

ime to the Manor hne, and thence down the 

'reat Conestoga, and down the same to the 

p. ning. 

The township of Donegal, beginning at 
the he Chickasalunge, thence up the East 

Bran ' Road, thence (taking in the present 

inhab, ^ on a northerly course to Conewago, thence 
by the oame and the said river to the place of beginning. 
Derry. — The township of Derry, beginning at the 
mouth of Conewago, thence up Sasquehanah to the 

which they had made, and actually kept their word, and ap- 
peared as witnesses at the trial which afterward occurred. 
James subsequently stated his case to R-obert Ellis, Esq., of 
Philadelphia, who compassionately heard his case, procured a 
passage for him to Admiral Vernon, then in the \Vest Indies, 
by whom he was afterwards landed in England. But shortly 
after James had arrived in London, he unfortunately killed a 
man, for which he had to stand a trial. He was acquitted not- 
withstanding the efforts of his unnatural uncle to have him 
convicted. An action was then brought against the uncle, 
Lord Altham, and went to trial in November, 1743, and the 
verdict was given in favor of James, ou^ redemptioner. The 
uncle appealcd^to the house of Lords; and while the case was 
pending James died, leaving his uncle in quiet possession of 
his ill-gotten estate, and who while he continued to live, which 
was not long, exhibited the spectacle of the finished villain in 
the Irish nobleman." — Columbia Spy, vol. 2d, No. 35. 

*NoTE. — Conestoga was originally organized, about 1712 — 
prior to 1719, it was divided into East and West Conestoga, 
David Ferrec was the first Constable of East Conestoga, and 
James Hendricks, of West Conestoga. 



LANCASTER COUNTT. 247 

mouth of Suataaro, thence up Suataaro to the mouth of 
Quetopohello, thence south on a direct Une to Conegawo, 
and down the same to the place of beginmng.* 

Peshtank. — The township of Peshtank,t beginning 
at the mouth of Suataaro, thence up the river to Keh- 
tohtoning hill above Peter Aliens, thence eastward by 
the south side of said hill to the meridian of Queto- 
pohello mouth, thence on a south course to the mouth 
osf the same at Suataaro, and down Suataaro to the 
place of beginning. 

Lebanon. — Lebanon^ township, beginning under the 
aforesaid hill at the north-east corner of Peshtank, thence 
by the said hill easterly to the meridian of the west line 
of Tolpehockan manor, thence southerly and by the 
said line to the hills bounding Warwick township, thence 
by the said hills and township westerly to the corner of 
Derry on Conewago, thence northerly by Derry and 
Peshtank to the place of beginning. 

Earl. — Earl township, beginning at Peters' Road by 
Conestogoe creek being a corner of Leacock township, 
thence up Conestogoe creek and up Muddy creek to the 
Indian Path, thence along the southern branch of said 
creek to the brow of Turkey hill, thence southerly in a 
direct course to the north-east corner of Thomas Ed- 
wards' land and by the said land southerly over Cones- 
togoe creek to another corner of said land, thence on a 
direct course to the corner of the west line of Nathan 
Evans' land, thence by the said land and along southerly 
to the top of the mountain, thence westerly along th^ 

♦Now in Dauphin county,, 

fNow in Dauphin county. 

|Now in Lebanon county, 



248 HISTORY OP 

said mountain by Salisbury line to David Cowen's west 
comer, thence to Peters' Road and along the same to the 
place of beginning. » 

Warwick. — Warwick township, beginning by Cones- 
toga creek at a corner of Manheim township by Peters^ 
Road, thence up by the west side of Conestoga to 
Hans Graff's mill, thence up a northerly branch to David 
Preist's mill, thence westerly along the hills by Lebanon 
township to Derry, thence southerly by Donegal to the 
aforesaid road, thence along the said road easterly to the 
place of beginning. 

Manheim. — Manheim township beginning by Peters* 
Road at a corner of Donegal and Warwick townships 
near the head of Little Conestoga creek, thence down 
the said road by Warwick township to Conestoga creek^ 
thence down the said creek to the Old Doctor^ s^' Ford, 
thence westerly by Lancaster township on a direct line 
to Little Conestoga at the upper side of Peter Bom- 
garner's land, thence up the said creek to the place of 
beginning. 

Lancaster. — Lancaster township, beginning at tlie 
Old Doctor's Ford, thence down the west side of Cones- 
toga to the Manor line, thence by the said line to Little 
Conestoga, thence up the said creek by Hempfield 
township, thence by the said township to the place of 
beginning. 

Leacock. — Leacock township, beginning at the mouth 
of Beaver creek, thence up the east side of Pequea to 
Philip Feire's lower corner, thence west by Lampeter 
township to Conestoga creek at the upper corner of 
George Bard's land, thence up the said creek to Peters' 
Road, thence easterly along the said road by Earl town- 
ship to David Cowen's land, thence southerly and wes- 

♦Hans Henry Neff, Doctor of Physick. 



LANCASTER COUNTr. 249 

lerly by Salisbury, Sadsbury and Martick townships to 
tlie place of beginning. 

Lampeter. — Lampeter township, beginning at the 
mouth of Mill creek at a corner of Conestoga township, 
tlience up the east side of Conestoga creek to Leacock 
township, thence easterly by the said township, Pequea, 
tJience down Pequea by the said township, Beaver 
creek, thence by Conestoga township to the place of 
beginning. 

Salisbury. — Salisbury township, beginning at the 
county line at the north-easterly corner of Sadsbury 
township, thence northerly along the said line to the 
mountains at Brandywine head, thence westerly by 
Caernarvon township along the said mountain to a 
corner of Leacock township by David Cowen, thence by 
the said township southerly to the east line of Thomas 
Story's, land, thence continuing by the said township 
along another mountain to Sadsbury line, thence to the 
said line easterly to the place of beginning. 

Caernarvon. — Caernarvon township, beginning at 
the county line at a corner of Salisbury on the moun- 
tains, thence northerly along the said line to the north- 
east corner of Cadwaleder Ehs's land, thence westerly 

by township along a ridge of mountains to Earl 

township at the north-east corner of Thomas Edwards' 
land, thence southerly by the said township to the 
corner of Leacock and Salisbury township, thenoe 
easterly by Salisbury and along the said mountain to the 
place of begmning. 

Several extracts from the early court records are 
presented, which will, it is believed, be read with some 
interest. 

At a court of General Quarter Sessions of the 



250 HISTORY OP 

Peace held at the house of John Postleivhait* in the 
township of Conestoga, for the county of Lancaster, the 
fifth day of August, in the third year of the Reign of 
our Sovereign Lord, the second by the grace of God of 
Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the 
Faith, &c. Before John Wright, Tobias Hendricks, 
Andrew Cornish, Thomas Read and Samuel Jones, 
Esquires, Justices of our said Lord,, the King, the peace 
of our same Lord, the King, in said county, aforesaid, to 
keep, as also divers felonies, tresspasses, and other mis- 
demeanors, in the said county, committed to hear and 
determine assigned, &c. 

The court being opened, the sheriff, to wit, Robert 
Barber, Esq., returns the writ of Venire Facias to him 
directed, with the panel thereunto annexed, and tlie 
following persons were sworn and affirmed on the 
Grand Inquest, viz: James Mitchell, George . Stuart, 
Edward Smout, Edmund Cartlidge, James Patterson, 
Andrew Galbraith, John Hendricks, James *Hendricks, 
Tliomas Baldwyn, James Roddy, Francis Jones, Samuel 
Taylor, Patrick Campbell, William* Hey, John Gail- 
braith, Matthew Atkinson, Ephraim Moor. 

DoMiNus Rex, vs, Morris Cannady. 

And now, at this day, Morris Cannady, being indicted 
by the Grand Inquest for this county, for having feloni- 

*Postlcw]iairs, in Conestoga township, 7 S. W. from Lancas- 
ter, now Jacob FehVs. On John Postlewhait*s decease, Charles 
Norris, and other persons. Trustees for the General Land 
Office, sold Postlewhait's farm to Joseph Pugh, of Lancaster, 
in June 1756. Pugh sold to Tobias Stoneman the same month,, 
to whom the children of Posllewhait, namely, Susana, married 
to Benjamin Price, John, Samuel and Edmund, released, Oct. 
28th, 1761. Stoneman sold in 1762 to Andrew Foehl, grand- 
father of Jacob Fehl, Esq. This farm has been held rising of 
80 years by the Fehls. 



LANCASTER COtfNTf. 251 

oUsly taken and carried away fourteen pounds, seven 
shillings, the goods and chattels of Daniel Cookson, was 
brought to the bar in custody of the sheriff, and being 
asked how he would hereof acquit himself, pleaded 
thereunto instantly not guilty, and for trial put himself 
upon the country, and Joseph Growdon, Jr., Esq., who, 
for our Sovereign Lord, the King, this behalf prosecutes 
in like manner; and thereupon a jury being called, im- 
mediately came in, viz : John Lawrence, Robert Black- 
shaw, Thomas Gale, John Mitchell, Joseph Burton, 
Edmund Dougherty, Richard Hough, Joshua Minshall, 
Richard Carter, Joseph Worke, David Jones, Lawrence 
Bankson, who the truth of and upon the premises being 
duly elected, tried, sworn or affirmed upon their oath or 
affirmation, respectively do say, that the said Morris 
Cannady is guilty of the felony as in manner and for as 
he stands indicted; and thereupon it is considered by 
the court that the said Morris Cannady pay to the Go- 
vernor, for the support of this Government, (the money 
stolen having before been restored unto the said Daniel 
Cookson, the right owner thereof) the sum of fourteen 
pounds, seven shillings, and that he further pay the 
costs of this prosecution, together with two pounds, 
eighteen shillings, by the court allowed, the said Daniel 
Cookson, for his loss of time, charges and disbursements 
in the apprehending and prosecuting the said Morris 
Cannady, and that the said Morris stand committed to the 
custody of the sheriff of this county, until he make 
satisfaction for the same aforesaid by the court in manner 
aforesaid adjudged, and moreover shall be publickly 
whipped ^ * ^ on his bare back with twenty-one 
stripes well laid on. 

Upon the petition of Morris Cannady, setting forth that 
he hath no estate or effects whatsoever, to satisfy the 



252 HISTORY OF 

fine to the Honorable, the Governor of this province^ 
and to discharge the costs of prosecution against him, 
and humbly praying the relief of this court in the 
premises; it is therefore ordered joer curia, that the said 
Morris be sold by the said sheriff of this county, to tlie 
highest bidder for any term not exceeding six years, and 
that the money thence arising be applied for or towards 
payment of the fine and costs aforesaid; and that the 
sheriff make return of his doings herein to the next 
court. 

1730, November 3. — At a court held at Lancaster. — 
Robert Barber, late sheriff of the county, reports to the 
court, that pursuant to a former order he had sold JNIorris 
Cannady for the time limited by said order to one John 
Lawrence, of Peshtank, for sixteen pounds, of which 
sum he had only received the value of fourteen pounds, 
five shillings, and the said John being insolvent, the 
remainder could not be had ; he, therefore, prays this 
court would order the costs of suit and other charges 
against said Canady to be settled and the state thereof 
represented to the Governor that the said sheriff may be 
no further liable than he hath effects to answer. 

Ordered, per curia, that Tobias Hendricks and An- 
drew Galbraith, Esqrs., settle the said accounts and 
certify their proceedings to the Governor in behalf of 
said sheriff, according to his prayer. 

To completely organize the townships after their 
erection, the court, at the session for August, 1729, made 
the following appointments, viz : For Hempfield town- 
ship, Joshua Low, for John Brubaker, constable ; Ed- 
mund Smout, over-seer of the poor; Joshua Law and 
Hemy Neiff, supervisors. Conestoga, Albert Hendricks, 
constable; David Jones, over-seer of the poor; John 
Linville, supervisor. Martock, George Littleton, con- 



LANCASTER COtTNTY. 253 

Stable. Drumore, Patrick Ewings, constable. Sads- 
bury, Robert Young, constable. Leacock, Henry Jones, 
for Hans Good, constable; Israel Robinson and Daniel 
Fiere, supervisors. Lampeter, John Wall, for Wendel 
Bowman, constable ; Stephen Atkinson, over-seer of the 
poor; Edmund Cartledge and Adam Brand, supervisors. 
Manheim, Thomas Gall, constable ; Thomas Thornbury 
and John Mire, supervisors. Salisbury, James Gaut, 
constable. Warwick, Richard Carter, constable. Co- 
calico, Edmund Carpenter, constable. Earl, Martin 
Grove, constable. Lebanon, John McCurry, constable. 
Robinson, Francis Hughes, constable. Tulpehocken, 
Michael Shaver, constable. Carnaervon, George Hud- 
son, constable. Peshtank, Thomas Garner, constable; 
Peter Allen, overseer of the poor. Donegal, Patrick 
Campbell. 

Petition presented to court by the subscribers, "pray- 
ing that they may be recommended to the Governor as 
suitable persons to trade with the Indians," was allowed 
per curiam. 

James Pattison, Edmund Cartledge, Peter Chartier, 
John Lawrence, Jonas Davenport, Oliver Wallis, Patrick 
Boyd, Lazarus Lowry, W^illiam Dunlap, William Bes- 
wick, John Wilkins, Thomas Perrin, John Harris. 

At the same session petitions were presented to the 
court praying to be recommended to the Governor as 
proper persons to keep public houses of entertainment, 
which were severally granted jjcr curiam, in favor of 
Jolm Postlewhait, John Miller, Jacob Funk, Christian 
Stoneman, Jacob Biere, Edmund Dougherty, Samuel 
Taylor, Francis Jones, Mary Denny. 

Upon the petition of divers inhabitants of this comity 
setting forth the necessity of a high-way through Hemp- 
iield township, from the first unsurveyed land near Sas- 

33 



254: HISTORY OF 

quehannah to Christian Stoneman, his mill, and from the 
said mill to Daniel Cookson's, at the head of Peqiiea 
and praying that fit persons may be appointed to view 
and lay out the same accordingly. It is ordered per 
curiam that Edmund Cartledge, William Hughes, 
Charles Jones, Henry Neiff, John Brubaker and James 
Pattison, do view the place, and if they, or any four of 
ihem are satisfied that there is occasion for the said road, 
they lay out the same and make return by course and 
distance under their hands to the next court. 

Whereas, At a meeting of the magistrates and 
others at the house of John Postlewhait, on the ninth of 
June past, (1729) it was agreed that for the present 
supply of this county, the sheriff should erect a building 
sufficient to hold prisoners and should be allowed towards 
defraying the expense, the sum of five pounds, public 
money — which building is now nearly built. It is there- 
fore agreed and ordered by this court that the said 
sheriff shall with all expedition finish the said building 
which when finished shall thenceforth be reputed the 
common jail of the county of Lancaster, till the prison 
be built, and with this order the sheriff agrees. 

November 4, 1729. — The court appointed, ordered 
that, Tobias Hendricks and Andrew Galbraith, view 
the prison and make report to the county and assessors, 
accordingly, &c. 

From the following extracts — May term, 1730 — it will 
be seen that Lancaster county had, at an early day, a 
good supply of places to "/o sell 7m?n hy the smaW — 
these are the words of the petitioners. 

List of those licensed. May 5th, 1730, and rate of 
license. 

Jacob Bear, 40 shillings; Francis Jones, 10 s. ; James 
Patterson, 40 s. ; James Cook, 20.: Andrew Cornish, 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 255 

40 s. ; Erasmus Bachman, 20 s. ; Martin Harnist, 20 s. ; 
John Harris, 40 s. ; John Postlewhait, 60 s. ; Christian 
Stoneman, 50 s.; Edward Dougherty, 30 s.; John Steely 
25 s.; Christopher Franciscus, 20 s.; John Miller, 20 s.^ 
Samuel Bethel, 40 s. ; John David, 30 s. ; George Stuart, 
20 s.; Thomas Armstrong, 20 s.; Jacob .Funk, 30 s. ; 
William White, 10 s.; Thomas Baldwin, 30 s. ; Peter 
Allen, 40 s. ; Edward Cartledge, 30 s. ; Jones Daven- 
port, 30 s. ; Henry Baily, 20 s. ; William Dunlap, 20 s. ; 
William Clark, 20 s.; Henry Snevely, 20 s.; Michael 
Mire, 20 s.; John Wilkins, 20 s.; Lazarus Lowry, 20 s. j 
Michael Shank, 20 s. ; Casper Laughman, 40 s. ; George 
Haynes, 30 s. ; Isaac Miranda, 20 s.; John Hen- 
dricks, 20 s. 

At a court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace;, 
held at Lancaster, the third day of November, in the 
fourth year of his Majesty's Reign, Anno, 1730, before 
John Wright, Thomas Edwards, Tobias Hendricks, 
Andrew Cornish, Andrew Galbraith and Caleb Pearce, 
Esqrs., Justices of our Lord, the King, the peace of our 
said Lord, the King in the comity aforesaid, &c. 

The court being opened, the sheriff, to wit: John 
Galbraith returns the writ of Venire Facias to him 
directed with the panel thereunto annexed, and the 
following persons were sworn and affirmed on the Grand 
Inquest. 

Edward Smout, Jr., James Patterson, John Kile, 
Randel Chambers, Hatwell Varnon, Ephraim Moore, 
Richard Hough, George Stites, Christian Vanlere, 
Daniel Cookson, John Jones, John Musgrove, Jr., James 
Gait, James Whitehill, Thomas Johnston, William Wil- 
kins, William Richardson. 

Robert Barber, late sheriff of the said county, re- 
turned to this court by indenture under the hands and 



256 HISTORY oy 

seals of six free-holders of the said county, Gabriel 
Davis, John Caldwell, Joshua Low, Emanuel Carpenter, 
Walter Denny and Thomas Wilkins, for assessors, and 
John Davis commissioned for the ensuing year. 

We have introduced a brief notice of one whose name 
IS intimately associated with the history of Lancaster 
county, and the early history of the United States. 

Conrad Weiser, an active, enterprising man, con- 
spicuous in the annals of this county from its organiza- 
tion till 1760, Avas born in Germany, 1696. At the age 
of 13, in 1709, he left his Vaterland, accompanied by 
his father and seven brothers and sisters, with three or 
fom' thousand other Germans, they went to England f 
thence they sailed for New York, where they arrived, 
the 13th June, 1710. In the fall of the same year, the 
father of the subject of this notice, and hundreds of 
German families, were transferred at Queen Anne's 
expense to Livingston District, where many of them 
remained till 1713; that year about one hundred and 
lifty families moved to Schoharie to occupy lands pre- 
sented to Queen Anne by a Mohawk chief, for the 
benefit of these Germans. While residing here, Conrad 
Weiser's father, in 1714, became acquainted with Quag- 
nant, a chief of Maqua or Mohawk nation. Quagnant 
proposed to the father to take Conrad with him into 
his country, and to teach him the language spoken by 
his nation; the father consented, and Conrad accom- 
panied the chief to his house in the autumn of 1714. — 
Here his sufferings, according to Weiser's own journal, 
were almost intolerable. He was exposed to the in- 
clemencies of a severe winter, "pinched by hunger and 
frost, ^' menaced with death by the inebriated Indians ; 
to escape which, he had often to flee and conceal himself 

*See page 182—184. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 257 

till reason was restored, and '' a second sober thought y^ 
restrained their threats. Having spent eight months 
among them, and acquu-ed the principal part of the 
Mohawk language, he returned to the German 
colony, where, as interpreter, he acquired a competent 
knowledge of the language^, in a very short time. 

Owing to a defect in the titles to their lands which 
involved them in difficulties, this German colony was 
dispersed; some remained at Schoharie, among these 
was Weiser, the interpreter, others left, in search of a 
new home ; these wended their course in a south-wes- 
terly direction till they struck Susquehanna, where 
they made canoes, freighted these with their families and 
goods ; floated down the river to the mouth of Swatara 
creek, thence they worked their way up till they reached 
a fertile spot in Tulpehocken, where they sej,tled amidst 
the Indians, in 1723. 

Weiser, as stated, remained at Schoharie, till 1729, 
when he, his wife and four children left, and followed 
his relations and friends to Tulpehocken, where they 
were all cordially received. Here he took up a tract 
of land within a few miles of the site of Wommelsdorf. 

He, as occasion demanded it, acted as interpreter 
between the Indians and the German settlers. Though 
he had determined to spend his remaining days in 
private, his talents soon attracted the attention of the 
Government, and his services, as interpreter, were re- 
quired, by the Hon. Patrick Gordon, Lieut. Governor 
of Pennsylvania, as early as 1631; for that purpose, 
Weiser accompanied Shekellany and Cehachquey, In- 
dians, who had returned from the Six Nations, to Phila- 
delphia.* He was called on repeatedly to act as 

*Col. Rec.452. 

22* 



255 s::?t:rt of 

iDierpreier wbile pursuing the iuiproTement of te 
farm. 

He Tras a man o£ nnboraided benevolence, and dis- 
posed "/o hope all things" — it was through him the 
Morarian brethren were made anentive to Indian 
natiT^ especially the Iroquois, or Six Nauons. Mr. 
^wjttgenberger leceiTed the first account of them from 
Conrad Weiser, a justice of the peace, and interpreter to 
the GoTernment in PennsylTania.* The GoTemor and 
Proprietor of Pennsybrania had sent him in the winter 
of 1736, to treat with the Iroquois, concerning a war 
ready to break out between them and the Indians of 
Virginia, and to endeavor to settle the dispute amicably. 
On this jonmey, of neaiiy fire hundred miles, he sufiered 
great harddiips. Tlie weather was imcommonly severe, 
and he had to foree his way. mostly on foot, through 
deep snow, thick forests, brooks and rivers, carrying 
provisions fci several weeks on his back-t 

If it may be caiied such, he bad the good forttme to 
become acquainted with msny of the con^icuotis 
characters of his day. Count Zinzendorf visited him 
Auzust 14. 175^. where he met, at Tuipehocken, a 
:numeroi25 embasy of sachems or heads of the Sis 
>'"-i:«as, returning from Philadelphia. The coimt was 
:ous of preaching the Gospel to the Indians ; Weiser 
was mterpreter on this oc-casion ; adding in conclusion 
of the discourse: ~This is the man, whom God hath 
sent, both to the Indians and to the white people, to 
make known his will unto them,*' cMifirming his word- 

*LoddeL P. 1, 4, 5. 

iHe was appointed in 174L Die Landes Obrif keit gewann 
ihn heb, wegen seines ehriicben und brooders nuetzlicben 
'Characters, and machte ihn 1741, zam Friede-Richter und 
£ othschalier ber den lodianer-Xauc-n. UaU, ymdtridUen 97^. 



LAyC^TEE. COb'Ml". 239 

after the Indian custom, by a present of a piece of red 
cloth.* 

Sometime in the month of September, Conrad Weiser 
visited Shomakin, a populous Indian town, where he 
interpreted between ShikeUimus and the cotmt. 

He attended all the principal Indian treaties held for a 
period of rising twenty-five years. About the year 
1752. Conrad Weiser. in connexion with the GoTemor 
of Pennsylvania, Chief Justice Allen, Mr. Peters, Secre- 
tary of the Land Omce, ^Messrs. Tmmer, and B. Frank- 
lin, was appointed a trustee and manager of the pubUc 
schools, which were established through the efforts of 
the Rev. Michael Schlatter. By virtue of their com- 
mission, the trustees established schools at Lancaster. 
York, Reading. New Hanover, Skippack, and Goshen- 
hopen.t 

Dining the French and Indian hostilities, as Lieut. 
Colonel, he commanded the seccni battahon of the 
Pemisylvania regiment, consisting of nine companies— 
<*they were thus distributed — one company at Fort 
Augusta, one at Hunter's mill, seven miles above Har- 
risburg. on the Susquehanna, one half company on the 
Swatara, at the foot of die North moimtain, one com- 
pany and a half at Fort Henry, close to the Gap of the 
mountain, called the Tothca Gap, one company at Fort 
Williams, near the forks of the Schuylkill river, six 
miles beyond the moimtains, one company at Fon Allen ^ 
at Gnadenlmetten, on the Lehigh, the oiher three com- 
panies were scattered between the rivers Lehigh and 
Delaware, at the disposition of the captains, at farm- 
houses, others at mills, from three to twenty in aplace.":|: 
Tlie duties of the niunerous stations of life he held, 
were always discharged with fidehty and abihty ; he was 

»Ibid. 27. iHall. Nach. 661. tGordon's Pa, ZH. 



260 HISTORY OF 

both capable and honest. The space allowed us, we 
regret, will not admit of details. He closed his eventful 
life, July 13, 1760 — his remains were interred July 15, 
near Wommelsdorf, Berks county. He left seven chil- 
dren and numerous relatives to lament his departure. — 
Weiser was a man of strong mind — cultivated in the 
never failing school of experience. His poetical effu- 
sions, a few of which only remain, are said to be well 
written. The following is a concluding verse of a hymn 
furnished by W. at a church dedication : 

Fuer Feuer, Krieg und Wassers-Noth 
Wollst du dis Haus bewahren ! 
Damit nach iinserm selgen Tod 
Die Nachkommen erfahren, 
Dasz wir dich, wahren Gott, geliebt 
Und uns in deinem Wort geuebt, 
Um deines Namens willen. 

Notes. — Hatwel Varnon was a native of Wrexford, Ireland, 
In 1728, he settled in Lancaster county, now Leacock town- 
ship. It is said he was a man of rare endowments ; and ac- 
tive and useful Friend — died 1747, 1 mo. 1 day. — Frierid's Mis- 
cellany, Vol. IV, 25. 

Quakers were numerous in Lancaster county, as early as 
1730. " The Quakers extended their settlements to the Susque- 
hanna, one thousand families of the Society of Friends, settled 
in Chester county, before 1700. A thousand families of 
Friends were settled in Lancaster county, at the time or shortly 
after its erection. The meeting house in Lancaster city, was, 
for a length of time, numerously attended." — R. CLan. Jour. 

In the spring of 1729, John and James Hendricks made, 
under the authority of Government, the first authorized settle- 
ment on the west side of the Susquehanna, now called York 
county. They were soon followed by other families. 

The following mills had all been erected in Lancaster 
county, prior to 1729; Christian Stoneman's, Hans Graffs, 
Samuel Taylor's. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 201 

In May 1729, the Conestogoe, Ganawese and Delaware 
Indians, went to Philadelphia to have an interview with Gov. 
Gordon. The chiefs of the Conestogoe were Tawenna, Gaya- 
torouga and Taquatarensaly, sometimes called Civility ; those 
of tlie Ganawese, Amawoolit, Peyhiohinas and Yaochkon- 
guess; those of the Delawares, Peyashickon, Whawyayga- 
men and Saykalin. Peter Bizallion and John Scull, were 
interpreters.— Co/. Rcc. III. 383. 

1730, May 5th, at Postlewhait's, John Emerson, Gent., upon 
his humble suit to court, was admitted to practice as an at- 
torney at law within the same. 

1731, May 4, at Lancaster, Edward Harris, Gent., upon his 
humble suit to court, was admitted to practice as an attorney 
at law, 

1730, Lancaster town contained about 200 inhabitants — this 
)^ear Stephen Atkinson built a fulling mill at a great expense ; 
but the inhabitants of the upper part of the creek assembled 
and pulled down the dam on the Conestoga, as it prevented 
them from rafting and getting their usual supply of fish. At- 
kinson altered his dam with a twenty feet passage for boats and 
fish. 

Members of the Assembly from Lancaster county for 1727, 
were Thomas Edwards, John Wright, James Mitchell and 
Thomas Reed. For 1730, John Musgrove, Thomas Edv/ards, 
John Wright and George Stuart. 



262 HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER II. 

Road from Lancaster to Philatlelphia ordered to be laid out, &c. — Election 
excitement, orviolont contest — Border frays — Townsliips erected — Penns- 
borough and Hopewell, west of the Susquehanna — Hanover — Little 
Britain — James Ewing born — Contest between the ALuylandeis and 
inhabitants of Lancaster — Cressap and his associates attempt to displace 
the Germans — Is apprehended and imprisoned — Governor Ogle sends 
messengers to Philadelphia — German settlei-s seized and carried to Balti- 
more — The council sends an embassy to Governor Ogle — Marylanders 
break into Lancaster jail — Germans naturalized — Notes of variety. 

Previous to the erection of the coimty, httle or no 
care had been taken of the high-ways. The first, and 
leading object of the inhabitants, after townships had 
been erected and organized by the appointment of 
the reqnisite officers, was laying out roads and build- 
ing bridges where there was necessity. ''A petition of 
the magistrates, grand jury, and other inhabitants of 
Lancaster county, was presented to the board of coun- 
cil held at Philadelphiaj January 29, 1730 — 1, setting 
forth that nort having the conveniences of any navigable 
water, for bringuig the produce of their labors to Phila- 
delphia, they are obliged, at a great expense, to transport 
them by land carriage, which burthen became heavier 
tlu'ough the want of suitable roads for carriages to pass. 
Tliett there are no pubhc roads leading to Pliiladelphia, 
yet laid out through then county, and those in Chester 
county, through which they now pass, are in many 
places incommodious. And therefore praying that proper 
persons may be appointed to view and lay out a road for 
public service, from the town of Lancaster, till it foils in 
with the high road in the comity of Chester, leading ta 
the Ferry of Schuylkill at High street, and that a review 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 263 

may be had of the said pubhc road in the county of 
Chester; the prayer of which petition being granted: 

'^ It is ordered that Thomas Edwards, Edward Smout, 
Robert Barber, Hans Graaf, Caleb Peirce, Samuel Jones 
and Andrew Cornish, of the county of Lancaster, or 
any five of them view and lay out by course and dis- 
tance, a convenient high road from the said town of 
Lancaster; and that Thomas Green, George Aston, 
William Paschal, Richard Buffington, William March, 
Samuel Miller and Robert Parke, of the county of 
Chester, or any five of them, in continuing to lay out as 
aforesaid, the said road from the division line aforesaid, 
till it falls in with the King's high road in the county of 
Chester, leading to Philadelphia, and make return 
thereof to this board. And they, the above named per- 
sons of the county of Lancaster, or any five of them., 
together with the above named persons of the county of 
Chester, or any five of them, are further empowered 
jointly to review the said road within the last mentioned 
county, and to report to this board what alterations may 
be necessary to be made therein, and suit the conve- 
niency of carriages, and for the better accommodation of 
the inhabitants of this province. 

The persons appointed to view and lay out the road, 
made report to the board, October 4, 1733, that they had 
attended to the business assigned them, which report 
was approved and confirmed ; and it was then ordered 
that the road thus laid out, be declared the King's High- 
way, or Public Road, and that the same be fortliwith 
cleared and rendered commodious for public service."^ 

'The courts ordered, the Governor and council having certi- 
fied the same, that the respective supervisors open and clear 
the King's Road leading from Lancaster to Philadelphia ; to 
clear the same on the north side of the marked trees, at least 



264 HISTORY Of 

In the history of this county, the year 1732, is re» 
markable on account of a violent contest, and border 
frays, in both of which females played "a manly part;" 
Mrs. Galbraith " figured " in the former, and Mrs. Lo4ise 
" shone " in the latter. Andrew Galbraith of Donegal, 
and John Wright of Hempfield, were both candidates 
for member of Assembly ; it was an excitting time pro- 
duced by exciting causes. "Andrew Galbraith was 
pushed forward by his friends. Mrs. Galbraith mounted 
her favorite mare, Nelly; a spur, she fastened to her 
ancle, and away she went, her red cloak flowing to the 
wind, to scour the county for Andrew. She did him 
good service; for Andrew Galbraith was elected and 
returned a member, and took his seat," among his col- 
leagues of the county, viz: Messrs. George Stuart, 
Thomas Edwards, and Samuel Blunston. 

" John Wright contested the election, and Wright and 
Galbraith were heard at the bar of the House, and after 
hearing their claims, the House resolved " that Andrew 
Galbraith is duly returned a member for the county of 
Lancaster."* 

John Wright was a short time after elected in the 
place of George Stuart, who had died a short time after 
his election. 

thirty feet wide, and grub the underwood, at least fifteen feet 
of the said space on the side north the marked trees and make 
necessary bridges over swamps so as to render the same safe 
and passable for horse and wagon. — Docket of Quar. Ses.for 
1733. 

»John Wright contested the seat of A. Galbraith, on the 
ground that a number of the tickets on which his name was 
written, were rejected, because the tickets contained but three 
names instead of four. The House resolved, " That a ticket 
containing a less number of names than by law directed, be a 
bad ticket.'" — Votes of Assembly. 



LANCASTER COtJNTY. 265 

Sometime in 1732, as appears from the affidavits of 
James Hendricks, William McMannack, John Capper, 
John Brubakel', Charles Jones, John Patten, Alexander 
McKey, JoshuaMiushal, Francis Ward, Rebecca Hen- 
dricks, Joshua and Tobias Hendricks, taken before John 
Wright and Samuel Blunston, Hempfield, that "James 
Patterson had been informed that one or more of his 
horses had been killed near John Lowe's plantation, and 
that his two sons, Daniel and William, had been seen 
presenting a gun to fire at another horse, but were pre- 
vented by being discovered, sent some persons thither to 
enquire into the truth of the matter, who, finding one of 
them lying dead near Lowe's house, made some expos- 
tulations with his sons on that head, who were so far 
from disowning the fact, that they said they would kill 
all the horses which cam.e upon that land, and having 
assaulted and grossly abused Patterson's messenger, 
threatened they would tie and whip all those he should 
send over thither ; that upon complaint hereof made, a 
warrant was issued for apprehending the two persons 
who had been thus guilty of that assault." The war- 
rant was directed to Charles Jones, constable of Hemp- 
field township, who, with his staff in hand, and in con- 
sequence of threats from Thomas Cressap and his asso- 
ciates — "Maryland intruders," — to shoot any officer 
of Pennsylvania, who came into those parts to do his 

Note. — Thomas Pei?-n, son of William Penn, arrived in 
Pennsylvania, 3732. He was at Lancaster in October, 1736 — 
signed licenses or grants for settlements that had been made 
previously on the west side of the Susquehanna. Samuel 
Blunston was engaged as his agent to grant licenses for 12,000 
acres, to satisfy the rights of settlers, &c. These licenses, or 
rather promises to the settlers, to grant them patents for the 
lands they had settled, are signed by T. Penn, himself. — 
Smith. 

23 



266 HISTORY OF 

duty, Jones demanded the assistance of James Patter- 
sons, senior and junior, William INIclMannack, Alexander 
McKcy, John Capper, John Hart, John Patten, James 
Patten and JNIatthew Bailey, "who took three guns, and 
these not loaded, serving only as an appearance of 
defence," Avent to the house of ]Mr. Lowe, apprehended 
Daniel and William, who made considerable resistance. 
J\lrs. Lowe raised an alarm to raise the neighborhood,"* 
whereupon, Thomas Crcssap, AVilliam Canon and Ed- 
vv-ard Evans, followed to rescue the prisoners, and 
wounded John Hart; but Avere obliged to desist. The 
Lowes were arrested and imprisoned at Lancaster. 

This was soon followed by more '- unhappy frays,*' 
accompanied by acts of atrocity committed by the Mary- 
landers "'upon the Pennsylvanians.'' The Lancaste- 
rians were aroused to action, they called "to arms,'' and 
a body of tlie mostr esolute, entered into JNIaryland and 
compelled Cressap and his associates to flee. The Lan- 
casterians convinced the JMary landers that they Avere not 
to be assailed with impimity. 

Tliough Lancaster county was without specified 
limits, at this time, settlements had noAv been made west 
of the Susquehanna, within the present boundaries of 
York, Adams, Franldin, Cumberland, Perry; the inhabi- 
tants in various parts presented petitions to the court at 
Lancaster for the erection of townships. At the Novem- 
ber session, 1735, upon the petition of many inhabitants 
on the west side of the Susquehanna river, opposite to 
Paxtoh, praying that the parts settled between said river 

'Lowe's house, Avhcre his sons Avere taken, was within the 
boundaries of Pennsylvania. About 400 people lived more 
south than Lowe's house, who paid taxes in Lancaster county, 
and had always acknowledged themselves inhabitants of Penn- 
sylvania.— ok Rec. in. 507 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 2 67 

and Potomac river, on Concdogwainst, Yellow Britches 
and Conegochegue creeks, may be divided into two 
townships, and constables appointed in them, it was 
ordered by court that a line rmming northerly from the 
hills to the southward of Yellow Britches (crossing a 
direct line by the Great Spring) to Keghtotening moun- 
tain, be the division line, and the eastern-most township, 
be called Pennsborough, and the western, Hopewell. — 
(Cumberland county.) 

At the February session, 1736-7, upon a petition of 
the inhabitants of Lancaster county, Hanover township 
was erected; divided on the west from Peshtank by 
Beaver creek from its mouth to the mountain, from 
Lebanon on the east, and Derry on the south by Sua- 
taaro creek, from Beaver mouth to the forks, thence b}^ 
the north branch thereof to the mountain. 

At the February session, 1737-8. — The petition of 
many of the inhabitants of Drumore township, setting 
forth the inconveniences they lie under by the largeness 
of the township, and praying the same may be divided 

Note. — James Ewing was born about the year 1736, in 
Manor township, of this county, of Irish parents. When yet a 
lad his parents moved to Hellam township, Lancaster, now 
York county. Our young hero, at the age of 18 or 19, was 
engaged in repelling, with his associates, and citizens soldiers, 
the incursions of the Indians. He took, at an early day, an 
active part in the Indian or French army ; and was, it is be- 
lieved, a lieutenant in Braddock's army, and present at the 
disastrous slaughter usually called "Braddock's Defeat." 

He served his country in various capacities. He was a 
member of the Legislature for six or seven years. He was 
Brigadier General, and attached to the Flying Camp in the 
Kevolutionary war. He was in public life till 1800 — died in 
March, 190G, aged about 70 years. Of him it is said, at the 
time of his death, what is said of few : "He died without an 
enemy." 



268 HISTORY OP 

by a line running from a marked Spanish oak standings 
on the brow of a roundish hill by Sasquehanah opposite 
an island, called Mount Johnson, north-east by east to 
Octoraro creek, and that the said western division may 
be called the township of Little Britain, which said 
petition being considered and approved of, the same is 
ordered per curiam to be recorded in manner aforesaid. 

The year 1736, there was a contest between the Mary- 
landers and the inhabitants of Lancaster, arising from 
the undefined boundary between Pennsylvania and 
Maryland. A respectable number of Germans and 
others had settled west of the Susquehanna, now York 
county, under Pennsylvania titles; but to avoid paying 
taxes, imposed by the province, these settlers accepted 
titles from Maryland, "and attorned to Lord Baltimore; 
but, becoming satisfied that adhesion to him might uUi- 
mately prejudice their interests, they formally renounced 
their allegiance, and sought protection from Penn- 
sylvania." 

This course of shifting greatly displeased the Mary- 
landers; they were determined to eject the '^ miscreants'^^ 
from their possessions. Three hundred men, headed by 
the sheriff of the county of Baltimore, advanced within 
the borders of Pennsylvania to execute their ejectment. 
The citizens of Lancaster county could not look with 
indifference upon the conduct of the Marylanders: 
Samuel Smith, the sheriff of Lancaster county, drew out 
a Posse Comitatus, i. e. citizens to oppose the aggres- 
sions of rioters or invaders, and to protect the settlers 
west of the Susquehanna. Smith succeeded without 
violence in having the Marylanders leave the arena, 
where they proposed to execute the design of their mis- 
sion, with the understanding the setders there would> 



LANCASTER COUIsTr. 269 

after consultation, " give an answer to Lord Baltimore's 
expedition to acknowledge his authority.'' 

For a short time, disturbances seemed to be settled ; 
but before long, through the instrumentality of Captain 
Thomas Cressap, a restless, quarrelsome individual, an 
association was formed with the knowledge of Governor 
Ogle, of some fifty or sixty persons, under the auspices 
of the Captain, to displace the Germans, being the prin- 
cipal settlers; and to divide their lands, according to the 
agrarian laws of Rome: "to distribute the lands of the 
conquered among the coyiquerors ; for Cressap had 
promised each of his associates two hundred acres of 
land. 

In the prosecution of their design, tliey killed one 
Knowles, who had resisted them. Their leader, how- 
ever, did not escape with impunity; the sheriff of Lan- 
caster assailed him, and on the 23d of November, 1736, 
after ho was wounded, took him as prisoner and con- 
veyed him to Philadelphia jail. 

"Governor Ogle, on receipt of this intelhgence, 
despatched Edmund Jennings and Daniel Dulany to 
Philadelphia, to demand reparation, and the release of 
Cressap. Both were refused by the president and coun- 
cil, who earnestly remonstrated against the encroach- 
ments of the people of Maryland, encouraged and pro- 
tected by their Governor. 

" Governor Ogle immediately ordered reprisal. Foiu 
German settlers were seized and carried to Baltimore, 
and a band of associators, under one Higgenbotham, 
proceeded forcibly to expel the Germans. Again the 
council ordered out the sheriff of Lancaster, and the 
power of his county, with directions to dispose detach- 
ments in proper positions to protect the people; and they 
despatched Messrs. Lawrence and Ashton, members of 

23* 



^70 

X^hm tkie sli»iff entered tbs HnM^ iStm iiiTaud^ts i^iredl^ 
but if^innied 9;$ sjmni iis hb £»rog w«s wididbrai^vii. C«|k 
luras; were ]i»tde oa bolli sidc& The Gennaai ssetilers 
w<@re baaracs9id peip€«ia%; iu muaj insluioes dhr^R 
Irimi diidr ^unoos, aitd in otfoeis deierred Cram ex^jj 
»ltcxa|Mt to pfeuat or iiopr&Te. 

*Ii:i Mar^ 17S7, the eoundl s^l Ssnuuel Pr@||paaiid 
Jitei KmjjfT^ <vn an eiii)»ss;y ttt Goxenior 0^ to treaA 
on some im^3i5;\ire5 lorhkli m^l pflresesre the quiel^of 
the boix^rx, )iiitil d)e pk»SQie d die Emg sbooild be 
kDo^om* t<^ whom both paoreies haid sf^pealed^ ^l Go« 
Teroc«^ 0§^k r&qtuiing some coocesskM^ ineompaytiMe 
viih the rights of the piopn^aunes of Peuasyhrania, 
the dep\iT5e55 n i\imfd without haTiug made aaiy agree* 
miGat. In Orio)>ex> 1737^ a paity of Afaiiyluideis^ six* 
tecxi daring f^^lows, imder the diieddcm of at i/e^ffmrtMto, 
nacmed Bkhnrd Lowdex, br«^ opcai the jail ait Lan* 
oasixix, ancl released the xioters wixi baud been appre- 
hended by thf» 5^exiff, amcmg whtMOi was a brother of 
the k^dex, Foitncately vhcn ind%iiati(Mi was prompt* 
ii^ the inlii^bitanis; oa both ^dcs of the hne to further 
breaches of pe^ioe, an order of the Kins^ in council, on 
the subject of the boundary, induced both paxues to re* 
Drain from furiliex Tioleace, to drop al! peT?ecutions, 
and to di?:diax§-e iheii respeeuve piiswiers on bail."' 

In 17:>S, a xes^peet^ble numbex of Swiss and Geimans 
b:^v . wexe naturalized. Many of the appJi^ 

c«.i > . in the country' as eaxly as 17^7, bui the 

grealex part of iliem came in between 17S1 and 17S5, — 
TJie A^-t was passed at a sesdon held itom Ociobex, 17SS, 
to May, 17S9, 

Tiie foi..>win§ are t)ie names of thcKe natiuaii^ed, all 
of Lancastcx oountT: 



LANCASTER COUNTr. 271 

Michael Albert, William Albert, Leonard Bender, 
George Miller, John Bushong,*. Nicholas Candle, Jo^ 
Haggy, Charles Keller, Stephen Remsberger, Ludowick 
Dettenburn, Jacob Bare, Jr., John Leiberger, Micliael 
Becker, John Peter Cooher, Christian Lawer, John Li- 
bough, Bartholomew Shaver, Casper Stump, Jacob 
Becker, Tobias Pickle, Peter Rutt, George Klein, Paul 
Tittenhoffer, Matthias Tise, George Lodowick Horst, 
Sebastian Graff, John Henry Basseler, >Iatthia.s Yung, 
Jacob Scliloug, Henry Michael Immei, Felix Miller, 
Martin Weybrecht, Frederick Eighelberger, Sebastian 
Fink, Hans Adam Schreiner, Christian Lang, Casper 
Fillar, Anthony Bretter, Leonhard Ellniaker, Andreas 
Bersinger, Hans Graff, Jacob Hartman, Theophilus 
Hartman, Theophilus Hartman, Jr., Benjamin Wltmer, 
Abraham Witmer, Johannes Pinkley, Turst Buckwalter, 
Henr)' Neaf, Jr., Valentine Hergelrat, Henr}" Basseler, 
John Stetler, Leonhard Romler, Leonhard Heyer, Peter 
Schell,' John Nohaker, Nicliolas Miller, Johan Hock, 
Thomas Knoppenheffer, Michael Knoppenheffer, Chris- 
tian Leman, George Unrook, Jacob Scheffer, Valentine 
Keffer, Jacob Etshberger, Herman Walbum, Casper 
Reed, Clirlstian Manusmith, Nicholas Kutts, George 
Weyrick, Christopher Ley, Jacob Lower, Hans Moor, 

♦John Bushong, a French Huguenot, sailed in the same vessel 
with the Rev. Johannes Bartholomews Rieger. They left 
Rotterdam by way of Cowes, in the Ship Britannia of Loudon, 
Michael Franklyn, Master, and arrived at Philadelphia in Sept, 
1731. Some of Bushong's descendants reside in East Lam^ 
peter, near Heller's Church. Among others, who arrived in 
the same vessel, are the well known names of Beyer, Bock, 
Frey, Hiestand, Carl, Keyser, Kraft, Kobell, Lehman, Lutz, 
Nehs, Rath, Ruppert, Yogler, Schwartz, Wets, Wirtz, Seig- 
mund, Weynand, Schroter, Bihlmeier, Mentz, Horsch, Boor, 
Baha— Coi Rec. III. 431. 



272 HISTORY OF 

Johannes Blum, George Steitz, Erasmus Buckenmeyery 
George Graff; "being all of the Protestant or Reformed 
religion, and subjects of the Emperor of Germany, and 
other provinces now in amity with the King of Great 
Britain ; every one of them ivas by this act declared citi- 
zens, and all the immunities enjoyed by natural liege sub- 
jects, ivere to be enjoyed by them." 

Notes of variety. — In 1732 locusts were very numerous, 
and the noise made by them was sufficient to drown ones 
voice in conversation— orchards and young trees generally 
suffered much by them. — Meylins Family Bible. 

Smith's mill in Martic, Buckley's mill on the Octorora, and 
Emanuel Herr's on Pequea, had been erected prior to 1733. 

The first house erected in Strasburg, 1733. 

In 1734, Lutheran Church and School House were commen- 
ced in Lancaster, the Church was dedicated October 28, 1738. 
The same year (1738) an Episcopal Church was built in Con- 
cstoga 15 miles from Lancaster. The same year the hottest 
summer ever experienced in the county — harvest men died in 
the fields — multitude of birds were found dead. 

The Court of Nov. term, 1735, appointed Randle Chambers, 
Jacob Peat, James Silvers, Thomas Eastland, John Lawrence 
and Abraham Endless, to view and lay out a road from Harris' 
Ferry towards Potomac, so as best to answer the necessities of 
the inhabitants. 

Aug. 5, 1735, James Calder, Attorney at Law, on applica- 
tion, was admitted to practice in the Lancaster court. 

June 20, 1736, the first German Reformed Church, in Lan- 
caster, dedicated — a log building, nearly opposite the present 
church— after 1771, when the new church had been finished, it 
was converted into a private dwelling and occupied as such 
till Jan. 14, 1836, when it was destroyed by fire. Rev. John 
Jacob Hook or Hock, V. D. M. was German Ref. pastor at 
Lancaster, in 1736. 

Dec. 7, 1737— at night a smart earthquake was felt at Cones- 
toga and Philadelphia. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 273 

Nov. 2, 1736, Alexander Pearcy— May 3, 1737, James Kea- 
ting—admitted to practice law at the Lancaster bar. In 1736-7 
settlements commenced at Adamstown— first settlers were 
William Adams, Abraham Kearn, John Johns, Philip Steffy, 
Mathias Fanslcr, Flickingers and others. 

''Hoio to settle willi some Doctors in olden times.''— August Tj^ 
1736, at a court of Gen. Quarter Session : Doct. William Smith, 
a vagabond and beggar, being convicted before the court of 
being an impostor, it is the judgment of the court that he re- 
cicve, in the town of Lancaster, ten lashes, and be conducted 
from Constable to Constable, and be whipped with ten lashes, 
in the most public place, till he comes to the bounds of the 
county, at Octorora, and there be dismissed." Be patient in 
suffering, as the Doctor said, when he received his pay. 

In 1733, the number of taxables, in Lancaster county, was 
2560. About the year 1738, many emigrants from the Pala- 
tinate, Germany, settled in Brecknock township; among these 
were Jacob Guth, Christian Guth, who erected the first grist 
mill in the township; John Mussleman, Francis Diller, who 
erected the first distillery in Brecknock; Jacob Schneder, 
Francis Eckert, Herman Deis, Christopher Waldhauer, Wil- 
liam Morris, Englishman, and some others. — S. Boicman's 
iMtcr. 

Member of Assembly for Lancaster county. 1731: John 
Koyle, Andrew Galbraith, John Musgrove, Thomas Edwrads — 
1732: George Stuart, Thomas Edwards, Samuel Blunston, 
Andrew Galbraith — 1733: Andrew Galbraith, Thomas Edwards, 
John Wright, John K/)yle— 1731: James Hamilton, John Em- 
erson, Andrew Galbraith, John Wright — 1735 and 1736: James 
Hamilton, Thomas Edwards, Andrew Galbraith, Thomas Arm- 
strong — 1737: James Hamilton, John Wright, Andrew Gal- 
braith, Samuel Smith. 



274 HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER III. 



Governor Thomas appointed — The county divided into eight Districts- 
Several new townships formed — John Wright's charge to the grand jury- 
Brief memoir of Wright — Serjeant attempts to instruct the Indians — 
Ornish apply to the Assembly for an act of naturalization — Count Zin- 
zendorf in Lancaster — Visits Wyoming — Indians conclude to massacre 
Iiim — Singular incident dissuade them — Attempts made to prejudice the 
Assembly against the Germans — Martin Meylin's house built — Church 
council convoked — Irish behavior or conduct at an election — Disputes 
between Irish and Germans — Murhancellin murders Armstrong and his 
two servants — Murhancellin arrested and imprisoned — Indian treaty held 
in Lancaster — Indians bark Musser's Walnut trees — Lutheran excite- 
ment in Lancaster — Lindley Murray born — Notes of variety. 

On the death of Governor Gordon, Jnmes Logan, 
senior member of the council, discharged the duties of 
president, fi'oni August, 1736, to August, 1738, when he 
was superseded by George Thomas, Esq., a planter of 
Antigua, as Governor of the province and territories. — 
He was appointed in 1737, "but his assumption of office 
was delayed by the remonstrance of Lord Baltimore, 
against the right of the proprietaries to the Lower coun- 
tries. He met the Assembly of the province, on the 6th 
of August, 1738.'^ He was Deputy Governor till 1747. 
During his administration, events of a local and general 
character transpired, of some interest to the reader; the 
leading ones shall be noticed. 

Pursuant to an act of Assembly, passed in 1739, for 
the dividing the county into districts, tlie justices of the 
courts of Quarter Sessions, made and agreed to the fol> 
lowing divisions: The first district Avas constituted of 
Hempfield, Lancaster and Hellam townships. Hellam 
is now part of York county. The second district em- 
braced Donegal, Paxton, Deny and Hanover. The last 



LANCASTER COUNTlT. 275 

three are within the bounds of Dauphin county. The 
third district was composed of Sadsbury, SaUsbur3^, Lea- 
cock and Strasburg. The fourth district of Warwick, 
Manheim, Lampeter and Lebanon. The last named is 
in Lebanon county. The fifth district included Cones- 
toga, Martic, Drumore and Little Britain. The sixth of 
Tolpehocken, Hidelberg, Berne* and Bethel ;t all in 
Berks county. The seventh of Robinson, Cocalico, Car- 
naervon and Earl ; the first is in Berks. The eighth was 
constituted of Pennsboro and Hopewell ; both in Cum- 
berland; but since divided into fifteen or sixteen town- 
ships, in that county. 

The year 1741, is remarkable in the history of the 
county, and in the life of the incorruptible John Wright^ 
Esq., for his immoveable resistance to the encroachments 
made upon ancient usages. ^''During the administration 
of Governor Thomas, the enlisting of indented or 
bought servants,:}: for soldiers, was first permitted to be 

^Berno had been part of Tulpchocken, till May, 1738, when 
it was divided or separated from the latter, by order of the 
court. 

f Bethel was part of Lebanon township, till May, 1739. The 
court ordered that it be divided and bounded as follows, viz : 

" That the division line begin at Swatara creek, at a stony 
ridge, about half a mile below John Tittles, and continuing 
along the said ridge easterly to Tolpehockon township to the 
northward of Tobias Pickcl's, so as in its course to leave John 
Benaugle, Adam Steel, Thomas Ewersly and Matthias Tise, to 
the southward of the said line ; that the northermost division 
be named and called Betliel — the southern division continue the 
name Lebanon.^' 

jThe number of bought and indented servants, who were 
thus taken from their masters, as appears by the printed votes 
of the Assembly, were about 276; whose masters were com- 
pensated by the Assembly for their loss sustained thereby, to 
the amount of two thousand five hundred and eighty-eight 
pounds. — Proud. 



276 HISTORY OF 

carried into execution, in the province, before the act 6f 
parhament, in that case, was made ; which being disa^ 
greeable and injurious to many of the inliabitants, and 
contrary to ancient usage,^^ John Wright, the mild but 
firm Quaker, of Wright's Ferry, of this county, and 
who had for many years been a member of the Assem^ 
bly, spolie out freely and firmly against this measure ; as 
a consequence^ he fell a victim to Governor Thomas' in- 
tolerance. Having understood that the Governor in- 
tended to remove him from office ; he had at that time 
been justice of the peace, and president of the Common 
Pleas, he attended the May session of the court, 1741, 
and before the new commissioners had been published, 
delivered a charge to the grand jury, which was pub- 
lished by their order; and which deserves to be en- 
graven upon the hearts of all who hate executive 
domination. 

"As a new commission of the peace, for this county, 
is, I suppose, now to be published, in which my name, 
and some of my brethren, are, I presume, left out; I 
desire your patience and attention a few moments, while 
I give the last charge to the grand jury, which I shall 
ever do, from this place, and take leave of my brethren, 
the justices, and my friends, the good people of the 
county, as a magistrate. 

** I have, for upwo.rds of twenty years, borne a com- 
mission of the peace, in Chester and Lancaster counties, 
under the respective Governors of this province, and have 
lived in familiar friendship and good understanding with 
all of them, until of late. 

"About twelve years ago, under the mild and peace- 
able administration of Governor Gordon, I was one of 
those who were instrumental in procuring this part of 
the province to be erected into a separate county, and 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 277 

liaVe contributed, accordiDg to my small ability, to have 
rule and order established and preserved among us^ I 
have always attended the courts of judicature; except 
when want of health, or the service of my country, in 
some other station, require my absence ; and it has been 
my lot repeatedly to give the charge to the gentlemen of 
the grand juries from this place. 

"I am now an old man; too old, if both opportunity 
and inclination should invite (which I am assured never 
will) ever to take the burden upon me again; and, there- 
fore, am willing to make you a few observations on power 
and Government, and the present posture of affairs here. 
" I shall pass over the original cf the English constitu- 
tion; the several steps and gradations, by which it has 
rose to the purity and perfection, it is at this day; the 
many attempts, which have been made to invade it, and 
the blood and treason, which have been spent, in defence 
of that constitution, and those liberties, which render the 
English nation so famous throughout the world. 

"And, first, I observe to you. Gentlemen of the Grand 
Jury J that the privilege of trials, by juries is counted 
older than the English Government, and was not un- 
known to the ancient Britons: juries are looked upon 
as essential felicity to English subjects; and are put in 
the first rank among English liberties; the reason given 
is this; because no man's life shall be touched, for any 
crime (out of parliament) unless he be thought guilty by 
two several juries ; and these juries, being substantial 
men, taken, from time to time, out of the neighborhood 
of the person accused, cannot be supposed to be biased; 
whereas, it is observable, that judges are made by pre- 
rogatives and many have been preferred by corrupt min- 
isters of state; and may be so again; and such ad- 

24 



278 HISTORY OF 

vanced as will serve a present turn, rather than those of 
more integrity and skill, in the laws. 

'' Juries are of two kinds, and are commonly distin- 
guished by Grand and Petit Juries; the former, which 
you are, have larger power than the other, as very 
plainly appears by the qualification, which you have 
taken. Your power extends to all offences within the 
county; and your office is principally concerned in two 
things, 2)resent?neiits 2aidi iudictments ; the difference of 
which is this, the first is, where you, of your own 
knowledge, or inquiry, take notice of some offence^ 
crime, or nuisance, to the injury of the public, which you 
think ought to be punished, or removed, and give notice 
to the court, in writing, briefly, of the nature of the 
thing, and the person's name and place: this is 
called a ^^re.se?z/7ne?2/, and differs from an indict- 
fnent in these two respects : first, in that it is not drawn 
up in form; whereas indictments are generally drawn 
up and presented to you, by the Attorney General and 
the witnesses qualified to attend you; and when you 
have examined them you either indorse, that it is a t7me 
bill; or, that it does not appear to you, sufficient grounds 
for the accusation, that the person's life, estate, or repu- 
tation, should be brought in question ; all which is under- 
stood, by indorsing the word ignoramus. From hence, 
it appears, that you are appointed, as well to be guar- 
dians of the lives, liberties, estates, and even reputations 
of the innocent, as to be a means of bringing offenders 
to justice. And, as you are endued with a sufficient 
portion of understanding to know what offences are 
representable by you, I shall not enumerate them; 
having already said, they are generally under your 
notice ; but shall rather recommend to you, and your 
successors, a steady care, both for the seciuity of the 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 279 

innocent, (for by you malicious prosecutions may be 
cropped in bud) and bringing offenders to the justice of 
the law ; that by their public shame and suffering, they 
and others may be deterred from the hke offences, for the 
future. 

"The office of a civil magistrate, or justice of the peace, 
is an office of high trust, and ought to be executed with 
great care, circumspection, and good conscience. Magis- 
trates may be looked upon as ministers under God, 
invested with some branches of power, for the public 
benefit, viz: To be a terror and scourge to evil doers, 
and to praise them who do well ; and while they lead 
lives exemplary of this, and in their public actions, have 
this principally in view, distributing justice impartially, 
with clean hands and pure hearts, their post is truly hon- 
orable, and they are highly worthy of regard. But if 
they unhappily deviate from this rule, if they are foimd in 
the practice of those crimes, which they ought to punish 
and suppress, if they pervert justice for bribes, and op- 
press the poor and innocent, they therefore render them- 
selves highly unworthy of an office of so great a trust. 

"I was always a friend to power, well knowing that 
good and wholesome laws, duly executed, are so far from 
being a restraint upon true liberty, that they are only as 
regulating springs to the passions, and productive of it; 
and our worthy founder, and first proprietor tells us, 
" That he composed his frame of Government with a 
view to support power in reverence with the people, and 
to secure the people from the abuse of power :^^ and these 
two are generally observed to attend each other, as causes 
and effects. And a noted professor of the law, in this 
province, some years ago, when he espoused the cause of 
liberty, and loaded with age 9-nd infirmities, took a long 
journey in defence of it, has these words on power: "It 



280 HISTORY OF 

may justly be compared to a great river, which, while^ 
kept within due bounds, is both beautiful and useful; but 
when it overflows its banks, it is then too impetuous to 
be stemmed! it bears down all before it, and brings 
destruction and desolation where it comes." 

" If, then, these are the ill effects of lawless power, every 
wise man ought to be on his guard, to prevent them, by 
keeping up the banks of liberty, and common right, the 
only bulwark against it. 

"It was in defence and support of this great bulwark, 
against the attempts of power, under a pretence of serving 
his majesty, but done in such a manner as I apprehend,, 
cannot be supposed was ever intended, or expected, by 
our most gracious sovereign; whose distinguishing char- 
acter is, to protect and not to oppress; and whatever 
bm'den the necessity of the times requires to be laid on 
the subjects under his immediate and just administra- 
tion, is laid equally and impartially; I say, it waste the 
opposition given by the House of Representatives, to the 
manner in which these attempts were made, and the just 
concern and dislike shewed thereto, that we may impute 
the late changes made in the commissions of the peace 
throughout the province, whatever other pretences they 
may be glossed with. 

" For this cause, my friends and countrymen, for the 
cause of English liberty, for standing in the civil defence 
of right and property, are we dismissed; and I rejoice, 
and am heartily glad, that I have been one of those, 
who arc thought worthy of displeasure. 

"And now, to conclude, I take my leave, in the words 
of a Judge of Israel. " Here I am, witness against me ; 
whom have I defrauded; whom have I oppressed; or, of 
whose hands have I received any bribe, to blind my 
eyes therewith? And I will restore it." 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 281 

*«May the Prince of Peace, who is the King of Kings, 
protect the people of this province from domestic foes 
and foreign enemies, is my hearty desire ; and so I bid 
you all farewell.'^ 

"Respecting this same John Wright, it may be 
further observed, in this place, that he died about the 
year 1751, in Lancaster county, where he had lived, in 
the eighty-fourth of his age. 

It is recorded of him, "That he was born in the year 
1667, in Lancashire, in England, of religious and repu- 
table parents ; who were among the early professors of 
the doctrine held by people called Quakers, and lived 
and died highly esteemed members of that community. 
He was educated with a view to the practice of physic ; 
but he declined pursuing it, and entered into trade, till 
the year 1714; when he removed with his family into 
Pennsylvania, well recommended by certificates, from 
his friends, the Quakers, in that part of England, both 
as to his moral character, and as a preacher, in the society; 
with whom they had, for many years, lived in strict 
amity. 

" Soon on his settlement in the province, his principles 
and conduct recommended him to the notice of the 
public : he was a representative to the General Assembly, 
for Chester county, and many years one for Lancaster 
county. In his station as a Judge, for the last county^ 
he was noted for prompt, honest principles, and candor^ 
and an inflexible integrity ; one instance of which ap- 
pears in the cause and manner of his dismission from that 
office, in 1741, as above mentioned. 

"He continued to attend the Assemblies, till broken 
health, and an advanced age, rendered such attendance 
difficult, and sometimes impracticable ; although the 
people among whom he lived, from a long experience of 

24* 



282 HISTORY or 

His services, ahd regard to him, would not be prevailed 
on by himself, or his family, to name another in his stead, 
for that station ; but continued to return his name till he 
died. 

"Through every station in life, his good will to man- 
kind, his love of peace and good order, and his en- 
deavors to give them a permanent footing in his neigh- 
hood, and in the county in general, were known to be 
his delight and study: his sense of religion, and the 
testimony he bore to it, were free from intemperate zeal, 
yet earnest, and attended with life and spirit, influenced 
by the love of God, and benevolence to his whole crea- 
tion ; such he continued, with his understanding clear,, 
his mind calm, cheerful and resigned, to the advanced 
period of old age, when he expired without a groan."* 

This year, 1741, a Mr. Serjeant, a gentlemen of New 
England, took a journey to the Shawanese, and some 
other tribes on the Susquehamia, and he'may, it is proba- 
ble, have visited the Indians in this county, and offered 
to instruct them in the christian religion ; but they would 
have none of his instruction 5 they rejected his offer 
with disdain. The poor fellows had experienced, to 
their sorrow, too many wrongs at the hands of those 
who should have treated them kindly. "They re- 
proached Christianity, judging it, as they did by the lives 
of those who professed to be christians. They told him 
\he traders would lie, cheat, and debauch their daughters 
and sisters, and even their wives, if their husbands were 
not at home. They said further, that the Senecas had 
given them their country, but charged them, never to 
receive Christianity from the English.'^l 

1742. — A respectable number of the Ornish, of Lan- 
caster county, petitioned the General Assembly that a 

♦Proud. fProud, II. 312. 



LANCASTER eOUNTT; 283- 

Special law of naturalization for their benefit, might be 
passed. They stated, /^ They had emigrated from Europe 
by an invitation from the proprietaries ; that they had 
been brought up and were attached to the Ornish doctrine, 
and were conscienciously scrupulous against taking 
oaths — they therefore cannot be naturalized agreeably to 
the existing law.'' A law was passed in conformity to 
their request.* 

The year 1742, is also remarkable in the annals of 
this county, for the visits of Louis Nicholas Zinzendorf, 
usually called Count Zinzendorf. This remarkable man 
arrived in America in 1741, and in 1742, visited Lan- 
caster C')unty and city. On his arrival, permission was 
granted him to preach in the court house. He made 
converts wherever he went; among his first fruits was 
the conversion of George Kline to his views, who after- 
wards, as may be seen from the sequel, aided in the pro- 
motion of a Moravian church in this county.t His 

*Haz. Reg. 

Note. — Touching oaths, they maintain the following as 
set forth in their own words: Was das Eid Schwoeren angehet, 
davon glaubcn und bekcnnen wir: Das der Herr Christus das- 
selbe gleichfals den seinen abgcrathen und verboten habe: 
naemlich, das sie keincsweges solten schwoeren, sondern das 
ja, ja, und nein, nein solite seyn.-^Glaubens BekenntnisSy 
Art. 15. 

The Ornish and Mcnnonites hold the same doctrines. They 
maintain that Christ in Matt. v. 34-37, totally and explicitly 
prohibited his followers the use of oaths, and has given them 
permission to ratify their cause with nothing more than a yea^ 
yea or a nay, nay. His disciples, they maintain ought to be 
children of truth. — Illustrating Mirror, by John Herr, p. 127-133 
Lane. Ed. 1834. 

fSee chapter V. 



254 HISTORY OF 

engrossing aim was to cluistianize the Indians. With 
this view he visited a distant part of Lancaster county — - 
the Wyoming comitry — inhabited by the Shawanese 
Indians. Zinzendorf, and his httle company, pitched 
their tents on the banks of the Susquehanna, a httle 
below the town. This caused no small degree of alarm 
among the Indians ; '- a council of the chiefs was assem- 
bled, the declared purpose of Zinzendorf was deliber- 
ately considered. To these unlettered children of the 
wilderness it appeared altogether improbable that a 
stranger should brave the dangers of a boisterous ocean, 
tliree thousand miles broad, for the sole purpose of in- 
stnictmg them in the means of obtaining happiness after 
death, and that too without requiring any compensation 
for liis trouble and expense ; and as they had observed 
the anxiety of the white people to purchase lands of the 
Indians, they naturally concluded that the real object of 
Zinzendorf was either to procure them the lands at 
Wyoming for his own use, to search for hidden treasures, 
or to examine the country with a view to future con- 
quest. It was accordingly resolved to assassinate him, and 
to do it priA'ately, lest the knowledge of the transaction 

Note. — Zinzendorf, the patron of the sect of the ^Moravians, 
was born at Dresden, ]May, 1700. He studied at Hale and 
Utrecht. About the year 1722, he began to preach and write to 
instruct his fellow men. He travelled extensively in Europe, 
In 1737 he visited London ; 1741 he came to America, and 
preached in various parts in Pennsylvania. He with his daugh- 
ter, Benigna, and several brethren and sisters, visited various 
tribesof Indians. At Sheconneco he established the first Indian 
Moravian Congregation in America. In 1743 he returned to 
Europe. He died at Herrnhut in 1760, and his coffin was car- 
ried to the grave by thirty-two preachers and missionaries^ 
whom he had reared and some of whom had toiled in Holland, 
England. Ireland, North America, and Greenland. Vt'hat mon-^ 
arch was everlionored by a funeral like this / — Allen, 



LANCASTER COFNTT. 285 

should produce war with the Enghsh who were ^etthng 
the country below the mountams. 

"Zinzendorf was alone m his tent, seated upon a bun- 
dle of dry weeds, which composed his bed, and engaged 
in writing, when the assassins approached to execute their 
bloody mission. It was night, and the cool air of Sep- 
tember had rendered a small fire necessary to his comfort 
and convenience. A curtain formed of a blanket and 
hung upon pins was the only guard to the entrance of 
his tent. The heat of his small fire had roused a large 
rattlesnake which lay in the weeds not far from it ; and 
the reptile, to enjoy it more effectually, crawled slowly 
into the tent and passed over one of his legs undis- 
covered. Without, all was still and quiet, except the 
gentle murmur of the river at the rapids, a mile below. 
At this moment, the Indians softly approached the door 
of his tent, and slightly removed tlie curtain, contem- 
plated the venerable man too deeply engaged in the 
subject of his thoughts to notice either their approach, 
or the snake which lay extended before him. At a sight 
like this, even the heart of the savage shrunk from the 
idea of committing so horrid an act, and quitting the 
spot, tliey hastily returned to the town and informed 
their companions that the Great Spirit protected the 
white man, for they had found him with no door but a 
blanket,, and had seen a large rattlesnalvc crawl over his. 
legs without attempting to injure him. This circum- 
stance, together with the arrival soon afterwards of 
Conrad Weiser, procured Zinzendorf the friendship and 
confidence of the Indians.''*' After spending twenty 
days at Wyoming, he returned to Bethlehem. 

The Indians had been so repeatedly duped that their 
suspicions were nearly as often excited as those of the 

♦Chapman's His. of "Wyoming. 



286 HISTORY OF 

whites against their own brethren ; however, with this 
differencej that in both cases under consideration there 
was no cause at all for these suspicions. The inoffensive 
Count, as well as the inoffensive Mennonite and Ger- 
mans, had the singular fortune to be noticed ''with green 
eyesJ'^ 

When excitements run high, arising from prejudice, 
the innocent themselves feel as though it were a duty 
they owe their fellow men, to avoid every appearance 
that might engender unfounded suspicions. This the 
Mennonites of Lancaster county did on more than one 
occasion. ^'In 1741, a second attempt was made to 
prejudice the Assembly against the Germans, but in the 
message of the Assembly to Governor Thomas, the 
House expressed their views as follows: Who they are 
that look with jealous eyes at the Germans, the Go- 
vernor has not been pleased to inform us, nor do we 
know. Nothing of the kind can be justly attributed to 
us, or any preceding Assembly, to our knowledge. — 
The Legislature of this province has generally, on appli- 
cation made to them, admitted the Germans to partake 
of the privileges enjoyed by the King's natural subjects; 
and as we look upon them to be a lahoinous, industrious: 
people, we shall cheerfully perform what can be expected 
from us for their benefit, and for those who may here- 
after arrive.'^ 

To allay unfounded prejudices, the Mennonites gave 
a decided proof thereof in 1742, in convoking a church 
council, consisting of elders, preachers and the bishop, 
and meeting at the house of Martin JMeylin, in Lam- 
peter township. 

Martin Meylin, grandfather of Martin Meylin, Jacob 
Meylin, John Meylin, and Abraham Meylin, all at 
present residing in West Lampeter township^ built what 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 287 

was then caWed 3, palace, of sandstone. It was^ in 1742, 
one of the most stately mansions in the comitry ; and as 
the Mennonites were a plain people, and Martin Meylin, 
an active member, the house was not only considered too 
palace-like, but the appearance of it might, as they rea- 
soned, strengthen their enemies in prejudicing the gov- 
ernment against them — they had been virtually charged 
with disloyalty — "determined not to obey the lawful 
authority of government — that they were disposed to 
organize a government of their own.'^ 

The bishop, Ha?is Tschantz, with his elders and 
assistance, having repaired to the humble log cottage 
hard by the "stately mansion," and organized the 
meeting, himself presiding over the deliberations of the 
assembled. Martin Avas first questioned, upon conscience, 
to openly declare what his intentions Avere in erecting so 
large, so gorgeous a dwelling — reminding him of the 
rumor some twelve or thirteen years ago ; and lately, of 
the prejudices excited against the Germans. He stated, 
he consulted only his comfort, and that he had no 
sinister views. Next he was reminded that, in their 
view, the house was rather too showy for a Mennonite. 
The question was, whether he deserved severe censure, 
if not suspension from church privil^es, for this over- 
sight. After some concessions, and mutual forbearance, 
by the parties, it was resolved that Martin be kindly 
reprimanded ; to which he submitted — thus the matter 
ended, and all parted as brethren. 

The Germans were at one time viewed in " double 
vision;^^ both as objects of suspicion, and subjects of 
easy imposition. Even at this day, many of us scarcely 
understaift the "spicy and sweet words" " of the dear 
people" — " the bone and sinew of the country," &c. 
Mttered by politicians in their scrambles for seats of 



28S irisTORt of 

honor, and the fat things of office. The " scores gotie 
over,'' and now 2^lai/ing, remind us of the recorded 
past. 

ScrambHng for office among the Enghsh and Irish in 
this county is nothing new ; as early as 1732 there was 
a violent contest between Galbraith and Wright. In 
1743 the Irish strove for "ascendancy at the polls." An 
election was held this year to supply the vacancy occa^ 
sioned by the death of Thomas Linsey. The Irish com- 
pelled the sheriff to receive such tickets as the?/ approved, 
and make a return accordingly. The following resolu- 
tion was passed in Assembly : Resolved, That the sheriff 
having assumed upon himself the power of being sole 
judge at the late election, exclusive of the inspectors 
chosen by the framers of said county of Lancaster, is 
illegal, unwarrantable and an infringement of the 
the liberties of the people of the province ; that it gave 
just cause for discontent to the inhabitants of said 
county ; that if any disturbances followed thereupon, it 
is justly imputed to his own misconduct. Resolved 
further. That the sheriff of Lancaster county be 
admonished by the speaker. The sheriff attended, and 
being admonished, promised he would take care and keep 
the law in future. He also altered the return, aS 
Samuel Blunston was entitled to take his seat.* 

The Germans began, about this time,t to look to their 
rights as weh as their interests ; they had determined 
upon maintaining these with firmness. Disturbances be- 
tween the Irish and Germans, were common. The pro- 
proprietors, to prevent these, "on the organization of 
York and Cumberland, gave orders to their agents to sell 

♦Votes of Assembly. 

I Gordon's Pa. p. 241, 242. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 289 

no lands in York and Lancaster counties to the Irish ; 
and also to make advantageous overtures to the Irish 
settlers on Paxton and Swatara, and Donegal townships, 
to induce them to remove to Cumberland county, which 
offer being liberal, was accepted by many."* 

While warm feelings were engendered among the 
Germans and Irish against each other, the savage Indian 
was, in a distant part of the county, imbruing his hands 
in the blood of the whites. Murhancellin, an Indian 
chief, of the Delaware tribe, murdered John Armstrong 
and his two servants on Juniata. He was soon appre- 
hended by Captain Jack's party, conveyed to Lancaster 
jail, where after several months, imprisonment he was 
removed to Philadelphia jail, "lest he should escape, or 
his trial and execution should produce an unfavorable 
impression on his countrymen about to assemble, for a 
conference with the whites, at Lancaster. '^ The gov- 
ernor also required that the property of the deceased 
should be returned to his family; and he invited a dep- 
utation to attend the trial of the Indian, and his execu- 
tion, should he be found guilty.t 

The proposed conference, held in Lancaster 1745, was 
attended by Gov. Thomas himself, in person, and by 
agents from Virginia and Maryland, and from the 
Iroquois tribes. This treaty or conference was con- 
ducted with much parade and formality, after the Indian 
manner. "All matters of dispute between the parties 
were satisfactorily settled. The Indians engaged to 
prevent the French, and the Indians in their alliance, 
from marching through their country, to attack the 

*The Works, Moores, Galbraiths, Bells, Whitehills, Silvers, 

Semples, Sterrits, Woods, early settlers in the east end of 

Cumberland county, were from Donegal township. 

fGordon's Pa. 246, 247. 

25 



290 HISTORY OF 

English settlements; and that they would give the 
earliest information they received of the enemy's designs j 
and, in consideration of four hundred pounds, they 
recognized the title of the king to the colony of Virginia, 
as it was then, or should be, afterwards bounded. The 
favor of the Indians was not obtained gratuitously. 
Pennsylvania presented them with three hundred pounds 
currency ; Maryland one hundred pounds ; and Virginia 
two hundred pounds, with the addition of a promise to 
recommend the Six Nations to the consideration of his 
majesty. 

But this conference did not remove causes of future 
disquiet. These lay in the encroachments of the settlers, 
and in the conduct of the traders ; who, in defiance of 
the law, carried spirituous liquors to the Indian wigwams ; 
and, taking advantage of the inordinate passion of the 
savage for this poison, cheated them of their skins, and 
their wampum, and debauched their wives. " Is it not 
to be wondered at then, said Governor Thomas, if when 
the Indians recover from their drunken-fit, they should take 
severe revenge. Or would it have been a matter of 
surprise, had they charged on whites, in the aggregate, 
the vices of individuals, and sought vengeance on the 
natives whose citizens daily assumed their soil, and 
destroyed the best of their people." 

The Indians about the town of Lancaster were also 
committing depredations in a small way; some of them 
found their cabins wanted roofs, and to secure the 
shingles, they barked John Musser's Walnut trees, 
which stood in town, to cover their cabins with. Musser 
made complaint to the Governor, touching the barking 
of his trees, demanding six poimds damage ; the Assem- 
bly gave him three pounds.* 
*Votes of Assembly, 1744. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 291 

The year 1745, is remarkable in the history of the 
Lutheran church, in the city of Lancaster, on account of 
a great ferment excited among the Lutherans. The 
Rev. Neyberg, pastor of the Lutheran church, united a 
portion of his congregation with the Moravians ; this 
caused an excitement among the Lutherans; they in- 
formed the Governor they were compelled to hear a doc- 
trine which they did not approve, or they must resign 
their church. The Governor kindly informed them that 
he could not interfere, that the law protected all alike, 
and their rights were thus secure, and it was to the law 
they should look for protection.* In 1746, after Rev, 
Henry Melchior Mvhlenberg, had visited the congrega- 
tion to reconcile the parties, Neyberg withdrew, and 
had a Moravian church built. In 174S, Rev. Handschuh, 
took charge of the Lutheran congregation.! 

*Haz. Keg. 

f Nachricbt der Ev. Gem. in America, 67. 

Notes. — Lindley Murray, the English Grammarian, was 
born in 1745, near Swatara, Lancaster county. He died in 
England, 1826. 

October 1741, by the special order and dircc<^ion of the pro- 
prietaries, Thomas Cookson, Deputy Surveyor of Lancaster 
county, laid out the town of York. 

John Eby's mill, Elias Myer's mill, and George Eby's mill- 
all erected before 1739. The winter of 1740, dreadfully severe 
— the'snow in general more than three feet deep — the back 
inhabitants suffered much from want of bread — many of the 
families of the new settlers had little else to subsist upon but 
the carcases of deer they found dead or dying in the swamps or 
run about their houses. The Indians found a great scarcity of 
deer and turkeys. 

Tradition speaks of a great flood in the spring of 174(X— 
January 6th and 7th 1741, the coldest days for many years. 
William Smith's mill on Beaver creek had been erected prior 



292 HISTORY OF 

to 1741. In 1741 Mr John Ross, keeper of the ferry at Blue 
Rock, on the Susquehanna, prayed the court for a road from 
his ferry to the town of Lancaster. 

The neighborhood of Reinholdsville was settled between the 
years of 1735 — 40 by Germans, by Hans Beelman, Hans Zim- 
merman, Peter Shoemaker, large landholders, and others. 

Raplio township. — May 1741, the inhabitants of the north east 
part of Donegal township, petitioned for the erection of a 
new township to be called Raphe. 

In 1742, a party of Indians, twenty-one Onondagoes, and 
seven Oneidas, on their way to Virginia, in an excursion 
against the Tallapoosas there, left their caroes at Harris's 
landing — came to Lancaster county, procured a pass from a 
magistrate — travelled peaceably through the province, obtain- 
ing supplies of provisions from the inhabitants. They were 
directed to obtain a renewal of their pass from the authorities 
of Virginia, after they should cross the Potomac; but this they 
found impossible, being unable to make themselves under- 
stood — were foiled in the object of their excursion. — Gordon. 
In 1745, the Catholics procured a lot, in the city ot Lancas- 
ter, from Hamilton's estate, on which a few years afterwards, a 
small log church was erected, in 1760 this was burnt down. — 
In 1762, the present Catholic church was founded. 

May 1, 1742, Lancaster Was incorporated as a borough by 
George Thomas, by charter. 

A German Pvcfoniied cougrega'iou was urganized, near 
Adamstown, called "Modecrick Church," in 1743. 

October 3, 1744, the Episcopalians held a meeting at Lan- 
caster, for the organization of a parish — St. James' church. — 
The Rev. Richard Locke, an itinerant missionary, was the 
first officiating minister. Measures were taken, April 15, 1745, 
for the erection of a small stone church, which however was 
not completed till 1753. 

In 1754, the Moravians held a provincial council in Lan- 
caster, In 1746, they built a church and school house — the 
former stood on the site of the present church. Their first 
pastor at Lancaster was Rev. L. T. Neyberg. 

September22, 174G, Rev. Michael Schlatter, V. D. M. of St. 
Gall, Switzerland, in company with Rev. Weiss, of Philadel- 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 293 

phia, visited Rev. John B. Rieger, V. D. M. Pastor Loci, 
Lancaster. 

Members of Assembly from Lancaster county, for 1738, were 
James Hamilton, John "Wright, Andrew Galbrailh, Samuel 
Smith ; in 1739, John Wright, Thomas Ewing, Thomas Lind- 
ley, Thomas Edwards; in 1740, Anthony Shaw, and the same 
as before, except Thomas Edwards; in 1741 and 1742, Samuel 
Blunston, and the same as before, except Thomas Edwards, 



CHAPTER IV. 



York county organized — Election frauds — Sabbath school commenced at 
Ephrata — David Ramsay born ; Memoir of — Bart township organized — 
House of Employment provided — General Miller — General Clark — 
Abundant crops— Distilleries erected — Partial famine — Indian alarms, 
and horrid atrocities — French neutrals imported — Their condition unen- 
viable — An Act to disperse them— Cooper, Webb and Le Fevre ap- 
pointed to execute the several provisions of the Act — Another act passed 
relative to the French neutrals — Notes of variety. 

As the settlements extended westward of the Susque- 
hanna, and the population augmented, the difficulty, as 
is the case in newly settled countries, increased among 
the orderly portion to secure themselves against thefts 
and abuses, frequently committed amongst them by idle 
and dissolute persons, who resorted to the remote parts 
of the province, and by reason of the great distance 
from the court or the prison, frequently found means of 
escape. These facts were urged by the inhabitants west 
of the Susquehanna, as with one voice, for consideration, 
upon the Legislature. The Governor with the Assem- 
bly, on the 19th of August, 1749, made a division of 
Lancaster county, and the part west of the Susquehanr^ 
was called York. 

25* 



294 nisTORT OF 

The same year York was separated from Lancaster, 
" James Webb complained to the General Assembly of 
die undue election and return of a member from Lan- 
caster county, and praying redress. It was given in evi- 
dence before the Assembly, that the election had been 
conducted in a violent and unbecoming manner; that 
votes had been received by persons unauthorized to re- 
ceive the same, and particularly two by Christian Herr, 
one of the inspectors ; that many persons voted as 
often as four, five, six, and even ten times ; that one of the 
candidates, who was elected, encouraged them, and 
although there had not been one thousand persons upon 
the ground, yet two thousand three hundred votes had 
been received. 

The House resolved. That the election be confirmed, 
and the officers be admonished and censured by the 
speaker: they were severely censured." 

Sabbath school instruction, which is so common in the 
world, was first introduced in this county, at Ephrata.— 
Ludwick Hacker, whom we mentioned before, was a 
man devoted to the cause of juvenile instruction. '^He 
came to Ephrata in 1739, and shortly on his arrival, was 
appointed the teacher of the common school. After 
being a short time employed in this responsible station, 
he likewise opened a school in the afternoon of the sab- 
bath ; aided by some of his brethren, imparted instruc- 
tion to the poorer class of children, who were kept from 
regular school by employments in which their necessities 
obliged them to be engaged during the week, as well as to 
give religious instruction to those of better circumstances. 

It is not exactly known in what year the Sabbath 
school was commenced. ^' It appears from the records of 
the minutes of the society, that materials for a Sabbath 
school room were furnished in the year 1749. This 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 295 

school flourished many years, and was attended with 
some remarkable consequences. It produced an anxious 
inquiry among the juvenile class, who attended the 
school, which increased and grew into what is now 
termed a revival of religion. The scholars of the Sab- 
bath school met together every day before and after 
common school hours, to pray and exhort one another, 
under the superintendance of one of the brethren.'^ 

The year 1749, is remarkable in the annals of Lan- 
caster county, for the birth of David Ramsay, the great 
American Historian. He was born in Drumore town- 
ship, the 2d of April, 1749. He was the youngest son 
of James Ramsay,'^ a respectable farmer, who had emi- 
grated from Ireland at an early age, and by the cultiva- 
tion of his farm, with his ov/n hands, provided the means 
of subsistence and education for a numerous family. — 
He was a man of intelligence and piety, and early sowed 
seeds of knowledge and religion in the minds of his 
children. He lived to reap the fruits of his labors, and 
to see his offspring grow up around him, ornaments of 
society, and props to him in the evening of his eventful 
life. 

David Ramsay was educated at Princeton college, and 
took the degree of bachelor of arts at the age of 16. — 
After devoting some time to the general cultivation of 
his mind, he began the study of physic, at Philadelphia, 
and attended the lectures at the college of Pennsylvania. 
He commenced the active duties of his profession in 
Maryland, where he continued one year, and then went 
to Charleston, South Carolina, with a letter of very high 
recommendation from Dr. Rush. He soon acquired 

♦David's mother was a Miss Montgomery. Many of his 
relatives still reside in this county; among whom are the 
Pattersons, Clcndenins, and others, of Little Britain. 



S96 HISTORY OP 

celebrity in his profession ; but his diversified talents and 
active mind soon took a wider range. From the eom- 
mencement of the revolution, he was an ardent patriot, 
and exerted all his powers to promote the independence 
of his comitry. From the declaration of independence 
to the termination of the war, he was a member of the 
privy council, and with two others of that body was 
among the citizens of Charleston who, in 1780, were 
banished by the British to St. Augustine. On an 
exchange of prisoners, after ati absence of eleven months, 
he was sent back to the United States. In 1782 he was 
elected a member to Congress; in 17^5, Mr. Hancock 
being unable to attend. Dr. Ramsay was elected president 
pro tempore, and for one year discharged the duties of 
that station with ability, industry, and impartiality. In 
1786 he returned to Charleston, and resumed the duties 
of his profession, and his historical labors, in which he 
continued to be occupied during the remainder of life. 
" The predominant trait in the character of Ramsay ,'' 
says his biographer, " was philanthrophy.^' The experi- 
ence of his philanthropy and beneficence in early life 
in the attentions received from him at Charleston, and in 
letters of introduction, which he spontaneously offered, 
to the highly respectable family of Barnwell and to others 
in Beaufort, and in a very obliging historical correspon- 
dence of later years, has left an indelible impression on 
the mind of the present writer, who must be indulged in 
the concurrent testimony. He was also a man of exem- 
plary piety. He was a member of the independent or 
Congregational church in Charleston, and adorned his 
christian profession. The last scene of his life furnished 
bright evidence of his faith and piety, of his love and 
rharity, and of his immortal hope, " through the blood 
of the Redeemer. '^ 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 297 

He was assassinated in tlie street, a few paces from his 
own dwelling, in the open day, by a maniac, who shot 
him with a pistol loaded with three balls. One of his 
wounds proved mortal the second day. " Death had for 
him no terrors." The publications of Dr. Ramsay, 
which have met with a very favorable reception in 
Europe as well as in America, are, " The History of the 
Revolution, in S. Car. pub. 1784 — His. Am. Rev. pub. 
1790— Life of Washington, 1801— The History of S. 
Car. — being the extension of an interesting work, pub- 
lished in 1795, entitled "A Sketch of the Soil, Chniate, 
Weather, Diseases, of S. C. — Memoirs of the Life of 
Martha Laurens Ramsay, 1810. Among his manu- 
scripts were, "A History of the U. S. from the first set- 
tlement to English Colonies," and a series of historical 
volumes to be entitled " Universal History Americanised, 
or. An Historical Vievr of the World, fi'om the earliest 
records to the nineteenth century, with a particular 
reference to the state of society, literature^ religion, and 
form of government in the U. S. of America." This 
Universal History, has been published in 12 volumes, 
Phila. 1818.* 

The citizens of Sadsbury having petitioned for a divi- 
sion of the township, the court, at the November Session 
of 1743, appointed Calvin Cooper, George Leonard, sen. 
James Wilson, Samuel Ramsay, Robert Wilson and 
James Miller, to divide the same— ."they met the 20th 
of March, and considered the most proper place. The 
line is to begin in a road called Aaron Musgrove's road, 
near the coppermines, at Strasburg township line, where 
it divides from Sadsbury, and down the several courses 
thereof to the east side of said road to a new road 
branching therefrom, leading to John Taylor's mill, 

*Thatchers Med. Diet. Vol. I. Art. Uamsay, 



298 HISTORY OF 

commonly known by the name of Buckley's mill, on the 
east side of said road, the several courses thereof, to a 
road branching therefrom commonly known by the name 
of Rustan's road, and on the east side thereof, by the 
line that divides Colerain and Sadsbury ; all which we 
allow and conclude to be the division. The eastern part 
thereof retaining the name Sadsbury, and the western 
part, to be called Bart.'''' 

The condition of many of the inhabitants of the 
county was, in 1750 and 1751, such as to induce the 
people of the county to call meetings to devise measures 
to obviate the sufferings of the destitute. " In pursuance 
of a resolution passed at a large and respectable 
meeting of the freemen of Lancaster county, in the 
town of Lancaster, it was stated that a number, of the 
settlers had severely suffered, both from the hardships of 
a new settlement and the hostilities of the Indians — and 

Note. — Gen.H. Miller was born near Lancaster city Feb. 13, 
1741. Took a distinguished part in the Revolution. He was 
in all the important engagements on Long Island, York Island, 
White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Head of Elk, Brandywine, 
Germantown, Monmouth; at this latter place two horses 
were successively shot under him. 

In a letter of General Washington's to Congress, dated 
"Trenton Falls, Dec. 12, 1776," it is said, " Captain Miller, of 
Colonel Hand's regiment, also informs me, that a body of the 
enemy were marching to Burlington, yesterday morning. — 
He had been sent over with a strong scouting party, and at 
day break fell in with their advanced guards, consisting of 
about four hundred Hessian troops, who fired upon him before 
they were discovered, but without any loss, and obliged him 
to retreat with his party, and to take the boat." 

He was a member of the Legislature — Quarter master in the 
Whiskey Expedition — Brigadier General of the Militia of the 
United States, during the late war, at Baltimore. He hel(i 
other civil offices— diecj at Carlisle, April 5, 1824, 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 299 

therefore resolved, That a house of employment be pro- 
vided for the industrious, in indigent circumstances. — 
The building was accordingly erected by the benovo- 
lent spirit which disposed all sects and all countries to 
contribute their aid for so excellent a purpose. 

A farm was procured, and farming implements pro- 
vided ; also manufacturing articles for the encouragement 
of honest but indigent industry. Lancaster became 
soon remarkable for the excellence of its stockings, made 
in that establishment." 

The year 1752 is remarkable in the annals of Lan- 
caster county for the abundance of all cereal products, 
especially wheat. Since the settling of the county, the 
crops had not yielded so bountifully as they did in 1751 
and 1752. The mercies, received at the hands of a 
munificent Giver, were not duly appreciated, and thank- 
fully enjoyed. They induced to lead men into excess. — 
Many in their levity and wantoness, destroyed this rich 
store of provision, fattened their hogs on wheat, " which 
they consumed upon their lusts." Others in various 
parts of the county, erected distilleries, and thus consumed 
the wheat, by converting it into a poison, and thereby 
brought a great evil upon community.* 

*Die jahre 1751 und 1752, sind so fruchtbar an Wcitzen und 
andern Fruechten gewesen, dasz die Mcnschen in ihrer Leicht- 
sinnlgkeit aus Muthwillcn haben gesucht, dicsen Vorrath zu 
verschwenden : dann sic haben mit dcm cdlen Weitzen, von 
welchem viele Arme hactten leben koennen, die Schwcine 
gemaestet, welche sie hernach in ihrer Wohllust verzehret 
haben. Daneben hat mart allenthalben Brenn-Kessel ange- 
achaft, und aus diesem Segcn starke Getraenke gebrannt, 
welches grosse Unordnung hat verursachet. — Cliron. Ephrat. 
190. 

Note.— Gen. John Clark, a native of this county, was born 
in 1751 — at twenty-five he entered the public services of his 



300 HISTORY OP 

These 3^ears of plenty were followed by years of 
scarcity. The summers of '53, '54, and '55, were 
remarkable for contmiied drought, and consequent 
want of food for man, and provender for beast ; both 
lacked the wonted abundance — both were, in some in- 
stances, reduced to the point of starvation. There was 
a public calamity in the land, and not unlike the famine 
in the days of David, (2 Sam. 31) ; the indigent suffered 
greatly. In addition to their pressing wants, Indian hos- 
tilities having commenced, the fear of being murdered by 
the Indians, cast a deep gloom over the face of the 
country. They felt it as a merited rebuke of heaven for 
their excesses. "For about the 20th of October, 1755, 
the nev/s was received at Lancaster, that the French and 

countiy. Congress appointed him, February 6, 1778, as one 
of the auditors for the army under General Washington. He 
was also aid-de-camp to Gen. Green. Tiie following letter from 
Washington, to Congress, speaks of Clark's character: 

Head Quarters, Valley Forge, Jan. 2, 1778. 

I take the liberty of introducing Gen. John Clark, the bearer 
of this, to your notice. He entered the service at the com- 
mencement of the war, and has for some time past acted as 
aid-de-camp to Major General Green. He is active, sensible, 
and enterprising, and has rendered me great services since the 
enemy has been in Pennsylvania, by procuring me constant, 
and certain intelligence of the motives and intentions of the 
enemy. It is somewhat uncertain whether the state of his 
health will admit of his remaining in the military line ; if it 
should, I shall perhaps have occasion to recommend him in a 
more particular manner to the favor of Congress at a future 
time. At present, I can assure, that if you should, while he 
remains at York, have any occasion for his services, you will 
Jind him not only wiUing, but very capable of executing any 
of your commands. Respectfully, 

GEO. WASHINGTON. 

At the close of the Revolution, Clark resumed the practice 
of law at York. He died December 27, 1819. 



lai^castI:r county. 301 

Indians had massacred and scalped many of the inhabi- 
tants, not more than forty miles above Harris's Ferry, 
(Harrisburg). About forty-five persons from Paxlon 
immediately proceeded to the spot, where they found 
fourteen bodies shockingly mangled, which they in- 
terred." At Reading, October 22, 1755, says Conrad 
Weiser, the people are in a great consternation, coming 
down, leaving their plantations and corn behind them; 
twenty-five persons, men, women and children, killed, 
scalped and carried away on the 16th October; thirteen 
killed, who were men, and elderly women, and one 
child; the rest being young women and children carried 
away; a house burnt up. Many had been alarmed 
before. 

The defeat of Braddock's army, July 9, 1755, threw 
the inhabitants into the utmost consternation. "All the 
females and children of the settlements, at Wright's 
Ferry, numbering about thirty, were removed to Phila- 
delphia, where they spent the winter. They occupied a 
liouse in Chestnut street, which has since been pulled 
down to make room for the Arcade. The men only 
remained."-^ 

Toward the close of the year, 1755, a large number 
of French neutrals were transported from Nova Scotia 
into the different English provinces of America; and 
many of these unfortunate persons, men, women and 
children, destitute of means to support themselves, were 
thrown into Lancaster county, and became a public 
charge to the inhabitants. 

While preparations v.^ere making on the part of Eng- 
land to carry on the war against the French, in 1755, an 
expedition was undertaken against Nova Scotia, under 
the coinmand of Colonel Monckton. The expedition 

*D. Gohcen. 

26 



302 HISTORY OP 

proved successful, and the French forces in Nova Scotk 
were vanquished. "A question then arose how the 
French inhabitants should be disposed of. They had 
called themselves neutrals; but some of them were 
found in arms, and they had, as appeared, supplied the 
French with arms, and thus seven thousand of them 
were distressed in consequence of a few taking up arms. 
The rest were peaceable, industrious, pious and frugal 
people. A proposal was made to such of them as had 
not borne arms, to remain in possession of their lands, 
upon condition that they would take the oath of alle- 
giance to the British Government, without qualification ; 
this they refused; for they might then have been com- 
pelled to take up arms against their own kindred and 
Indian neighbors, which they deemed a flagrant abuse of 
a former right : for by the treaty of Utrecht, 1713, they 
were permitted to retain their lands, on taking the oath 
of allegiance to their new sovereign. Queen Anne, loilh 
the gratijication that they should not be compelled to 
hear arms against their Indian neighbors, or their 
countrymen^ the French; and this immunity was, at 
subsequent periods, assured to their children. On 
refusing to take the proposed oath of allegiance, their 
property was destroyed, and they were transported and 
distributed among the several British Colonies. Some of 
them were throv/n on the public charge of this county." 
Their condition was unenviable — deplorable indeed. — • 
From a pathetic address, drawn up by themselves, to his 
most excellent Majesty, King of Great Britain, we learn 
that the miseries they endured were great. ''The 
miseries," said they, "we have endured since our depar- 
ture from Nova Scotia, cannot be sufficiently expressed, 
being reduced for a livelihood to toil and labor in a 
southern climate, so disagreeable to our constitutions. 



LANCASTER COUNTT. 303 

that most of us have been prevented by sickness from 
procuring the necessary subsistence for our families; and 
therefore are threatened with that which we esteem the 
greatest aggrava,tion of all our suffering, even of having 
our children forced from us and bound out to strangers, 
and exposed to contagious distempers unknown in our 
native country. This,- compared with the aifluence we 
enjoyed, shows our condition to be extremely wretched. 
We have already seen in the province of Pennsylvania, 
two hundred and fifty of our people, perish through 
miseries and various diseases." 

This memorial, says Halyburton, m his History of 
Nova Scotia, liad not the effect of procuring them 
redress ; they were left to undergo their punishment in 
exile, and to mingle with the population among whom 
they were distributed. 

In this county, the citizens petitioned the Legislature 
for the passage of an Act to disperse the inhabhants of 
Nova Scotia, thrown upon them. An Act was passed 
March 5, 1756, by which Calvin Cooper, James Webb 
and Samuel Le Fevre, were appointed to carry its 
several provisions into execution. The Act empowered 
and required them, or a majority of them, or their sur- 
vivors, and enjoined it, that within twenty days after the 
passage of the Act, to order and appoint the disposition 
of the inhabitants of Nova Scotia imported and per- 
mitted to be landed, in such manner and proportions as 
to them appeared most equitable under certain limita- 
tions, to have regard to such lands and plantations, or 
other employment as they might procure for them 
towards maintaining themselves and families, and there- 
by easing the province of the heavy charge of support- 
ing them. The act further provided in these words : — 
'^ And for the more effectual settling and employing said 



S04 



HISTORY OF 



inhabitants, it was enacted that the overseers of the 
poor of the several townships of Lancaster comity were 
required and enjoined to accept of, provide for, and 
receive into their respective townships such of the Nova 
Scotians, as were to be aUotted, and sent into their town- 
ships, by an order under the hands and seals of at least 
two of the above named persons; provided, that not 
more than one family was aUotted to the care of the 
overseers of the poor of any one township. They were 
to secure them employment, as was most suitable to the 
circumstances of the families and persons allotted, and 
appointed for their respective townships, as directed. — 
The overseers were directed to keep just and true ac- 
counts of all such unavoidable charges and expenses as 
might have accrued ; which accounts were directed to 
be transmitted under oath, or affirmed, to the persons 
nominated. 

Those who had been bred ta farming, farms at a rea- 
sonable rate, were to be rented for them, and some small 
assistance was to be afforded them toward settlement 
thereof. The commissioners were authorized to pur- 
chase or procure such stock or utensils of husbandry for 
making settlements, provided the supplies allotted to any 
single family did not exceed in the whole ten pounds. — 
The expenses incurred were to be defrayed and paid out 
of the money given to the King's use by an Act of 
Assembly. 

Their condition was such as to make it necessary for 
the Assembly to pass another Act, January 18, 1757: — 
"Whereas it has been found by experience that the Act 
of March 4, 1756, has not answered the good intentions 
of the Legislature of uniting them with his Majesty's 
loyal subjects by granting the said inhabitants of Nova 
Scotia equal privileges and immunities with the inhabi- 



LANCASTER COUNTT. 305 

tants and settlers of the province, and the grievous bur- 
dens of maintaining them in the manner hitherto used is 
greater than the good people of this province, under their 
present distressed circumstances, are well able to bear^ 
and for as mucli as there are numbers of children among 
them whose real advantage and interest it would un- 
doubtedly prove to be brought up in industry and fru- 
gality, and bound out to learn husbandry, or some other 
profitable art, whereby they might become reputable 
inhabitants, entitled to the rights of the British subjects, 
and their parents thereby eased of the charge of their 
maintenance as well as the public, which by proper care 
may be in a good degree relieved from the present heavy 
expenses." 

It was enacted that the overseers of the poor of the 
townships in which the Nova Scotians were dispersed, 
were required and enjoined within two months of the 
passage of tlie Act, or as soon afterwards as convenient, 
by and with the consent and approbation of one or more 
justices of the peace to bind out, such of the children of 
the Nova Scotians, whose parents or friends were not 
capable to maintain them, or neglected otherwise to pro- 
vide for them, to kind masters and mistresses, on the 
best terms they could obtain; on condition the children 
were taught to read and Avritc the English language, and 
such reputable and profitable occupations as would ena- 
ble them to support themselves at the expiration of the 
term of apprenticeship ; males were to be bound out till 
twenty-one ; females till eighteen. 

Further provision was also made for those, who, by 
reason of age, impotence, or any bodily infirmity, were 
rendered incapable to maintain themselves, that they, were 
provided for, and maintained, as other poor of the town- 
ship; but at the charge of the province. 

26* 



306 HISTORY OF 

We doubt not, there may some of the descendants of 
the French neutrals, reside in the county. Vestiges af 
them remained in Philadelphia for a long time. "They 
refused," says Gordon, speaking of those in Philadel- 
phia, "for a long time to labor, but, finally, settled in low 
huts, in a quarter of the town, where a vestige continued 
until the year 1800." 

Those who were carried to Baltimore, soon found means 
to become proprietors of much of the ground on South 
Charles street, and erected thereon their habitations, 
which lon^ bore the nam_e of French town. Many 
of the French descendants of the old French neutrals, are 
still there. 

Notes.— October 20, 1749, the Annual Synod of the German 
Reformed church, met for the first time in Lancaster. Rev. 
Bartholomaeus, V. D. M. preached the Synodical sermon. — 
The number of German reformed ministers in America was 
small in 1749; these were John Philip Boehm, George Michael 
Weiss, P. B. Rieger, Jacob Lischy, formerly a Moravian, 
Rev. Bartholomaeus, John Philip Leydich, Michael Schlatter, 
missionary from Holland, two on probation, Conrad Temple- 
man, at Swatara, J. C. Wirts, at Sacany, and two students 
lately from Europe, David Marinus, and Jonathan Du Bois. 

January 27th, 1749-50, Cumberland county was erected— 
March lltb, 1752, Berks was erected— June land 2, 1750, se- 
vere frost — ice in many places — rye and corn injured. 

Governor Pownall in Lancaster in 1754: — " I took the road 
from Philadelphia to Wright's Ferry, on the Susquehanna. — 
Lancaster is a growing town, and making money — a manu- 
factory is here of guns — it is a stage town — 500 houses — 2,000 
inhabitants. Between Lancaster and Wright's Ferry, I saw 
the finest farm one can possible conceive, in the highest culture ; 
it belongs to a Switzer. Here it was, I saw the method of wa- 
tering meadows by cutting troughs in the side of the hill for 
the springs to run in; the water runs over the sides and waters 
whole ground. — PownalPr, Journcil. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 307 

Lancaster county had, for half a century, been celebrated 
for the manfacture of guns. This business was successfully 
carried on by John Fondersmith, a European, who located at 
Strasburg, in 1749, where, assisted by one of his sons, he 
made " defensive arms'' for the Revolutionary patriots. 

The late Dr. Eberle's father — a peerless genius in steel and 
iron — a natural mechanic — manufactured bayonets, during the 
Revolution, not inferior to the damask blade. 

Peter Schaub, of Lancaster county, setting forth to the 
Assembly, that when the forces under Col. Dunbar were at 
Lancaster, on their way to Philadelphia, a considerable num- 
ber ot horses and cattle belonging to them were put into his 
meadow,, and kept there for two days, whereby the greatest 
part of the grass was destroyed, required compensation for 
damages sustained; Jacob Myers and others valued the 
damages at £11, 7s. The Assembly considered the petition, 
September 19th, 1755. John Brubaker presented a similar 
petition ; his damages were £8, 6s.* 

Col. Dunbar was an officer under Edward Braddock, who 
met with a fatal reproof, July 9th, 1755, near Pittsburg, for his 
overweening confidence and reckless temerity. 

Members of Assembly for Lancaster county, for 1743: — 
Anthony Shaw, Arthur Patterson, Thomas Lindly, John Wright 
— in 1744: James Mitchell, John Wiight, Arthur Pattei*son, 
Samuel Blunston — in 1745 and 1746: John Wright, James 
Mitchell, Arthur Patterson, James Wright — in 1747 and 1748: 
John Wright, Arthur Patterson, James Webb, Peter Worrall. 

* Votes of Assembly. 



308 HISTORY OP 



CHAPTER V. 



Moravian community at Litiz — Zinzendorf in Lancaster — Application to 
the conference at Bethlehem — Commencement of Litiz — Parsonage 
built — School House removed-^Rev. B. A. Grube — Present condition, or 

state of Litiz ; Improvements ; Church, and consecration of it, &c List 

of the names of Pastors — Schools and names of Teachers — Brother and 
Sister Houses — The grave yard — ^The spring — Population, mechanics, &c. 

The Moravians^ those who embraced the views of 
Count Zhizciidorf, of whom a passmg notice has been 
given in a preceding page, commenced the formation of 
a community, in this county, about the year 1755 or 56, 
at Litiz, eight miles north of the city, of which we 
shah give a detailed account. The subject is interesting.* 

To give a full account of this village, and the first 
settlement of the Moravians in Lancaster county, we 
shall begin with the year 1743. It happened, in that 
year, that Count Zinzendorf, the patron of the renewed 
church of tlie United Brethren or Moravians, who being 
persecuted in Saxony, by such as disliked his attempts to 
form Christian communities, which were not to be 
governed by the established church government of that 
Kingdom, directed his attention and Christian eye to 
Pennsylvania, where, at a previous period, a great num- 
ber of German Separatists had emigrated; accordingly, 
he visited Pennsylvania, and believing that his visit 
might be rendered more profitable, if he could succeed 
in uniting man^^ of these emigrated Christians, wha 
differeu in some particular points, he set out on his tour 
through Pennsylvania, and whenever he had an oppar- 

*This article has been furnished by a member of the Mora- 
vian Society of Litiz. 



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LANCASTEU COUNTY. 309 

tnnity, to acquaint himself with the various sects, he 
tried to unite them on those points, which he considered 
as essential in Christian doctrine. He neglected no 
opportunity to preach whenever he found an open door, 
and to proclaim Christ, and Him crucified, as the only 
ground and hope of our salvation. From Bethlehem, 
he proceeded, firstly, through Berks county, where he 
visited the Schwenkfelders, and other sects, and from 
there to Lancaster county, where, among other pious 
persons, whom he visited, was Mr. Jacob Huber, of 
Warwick township; and he met with a friendly recep- 
tion. The same evening after his arrival, he addressed 
the assembled neighbors. Many more would have 
attended, had they not been prevented by Mr. George 
Kline, Mr. Huberts neighbor, who made efforts to dis- 
suade others from hearing him, and endeavored to excite 
unkind feelings against him ; however, during the succes- 
sive nights, he became very uneasy, touching Ivz course; 
liis canscience told him loudly, he had not acted rightly. 
The following day. Count Zinzendorf went to Lan- 
caster, where he had permission to preach in the comt 
house. Kline followed him thither to hear him preach, 
and WctS one of his most attentive hearers. The Count's 
address removed all his prejudice, and made such an im- 
pression on his mind, tliat he, as well as some of his 
neighbors, requested him to visit them again, or tO' send 
them a minister who preached like him ; this the Count 
promised to do, and immediately on his return to Bethle- 
hem, sent the Rev. Jacob Lischy, to them, with orders 
also to visit other pious persons, who resided in various 
parts of Lancaster county, and whom the Count had 
visited previously. After that they were for a number 
of years visited by others from Bethlehem. Their meet- 
ings were partly held in private houses, and partly in a 



310 HISTORY OP 

Lutheran church, which was built in 1741, on Mn 
George Khne's land, and known as St. Jacob's church. — 
The Reverend Theopliilus Neyberg, who was then the 
Lutheran minister at Lancaster, preached every four 
weeks in this church until 1746, when he left the Lan- 
caster Congregation, and devoted his whole attention to 
the Lutheran congregation in Vfarwick township, and 
finally united himself with the greater part of his flock 
with the Moravian Society. 

In 1747, they concluded to apply to the conference at 
Bethlehem, for an ordained minister, who would live 
among them., and who could attend to the spiritual 
affairs of their small congregation; this request was 
readily granted, on condition that they would provide a 
suitable dwelling for him and his family. As soon as 
Mr. George Kline heard this, he offered three and three- 
quarter acres of land, at the lower part of his farm, for 
this purpose, and it was determined to build a suitable 
house, which might serve for a dwelling, church and 
school house. On the 9th of February, 1748, this house 
was consecrated, and on the 22nd of July, folio v/ing, the 
Rev. Leon hard Schnell moved into it, as their minister 
and school teacher. On the 1 3th of May, following, he 
opened the school, with four boys and three girls. This 
house was then known as the "Warwick Church and 
School House," and stood eastwardly from the present 
site of Litiz. 

Li 1754, it was determined to establish a similar 
congregation, ^ike that at Bethlehem. Mr. George Kline 
being one of tne most zealous members, of the then but 
small flock, and having no heirs, offered them, to accept 
his farm of more than GOO acres for that purpose. This 
kind offer was gratefully accepted, and the title thereof 
transferred to the Society, according to law. In the 



LANCASTl!a COUNTY. 311 

spring of that year, Mr. Geogre Kline had built a large 
two story stone house for a residence, which, however, 
he occupied but a short period, as he moved to Bethle- 
hem, where he ended his life. This house stands to this 
day, and is found in the central part of the village, and 
according to it, the main street has been located, and 
which causes, that it does not run due east or Vv^est. 

In 1757, the village was laid out by the Rev. Na- 
thaniel Seidel, and Mr. John Renter, who were sent from 
Bethlehem for that purpose, and the name of Litiz was 
given to it, in memory of a village in Bohemia, from 
which the forefathers of the United Brethren had emi- 
grated. * * * The same religious basis was then 
given to all the future proceedings of the United Breth- 
ren, in Litiz, which is characteristic of all their settle- 
ments, in Europe and in this country, and accordingly, 
the Brother and Sister Houses, of which we shall say 
more hereafter, were built in the years, 1758 and 1759. 

In 17G1, the present Parsonage was built, and the 
greater part of the upper story was dedicated for a place 
of worship. It was provided with a small organ, and 
the walls were adorned with a number of beautiful oil 
paintings ; the works of the celebrated Hayd, represent* 
ing all the most remarkable scenes of our Saviour's life. 
In this Hall, the congregation worshiped until the 13th of 
August, 1787, wken the present church, of which we 
shall say more hereafter, was consecrated for spiritual 
services. 

In 1762, the Warwick church and school house, of 
which we spoke above, was removed into the village, to 
serve as a dwelling and school house for the teacher, 
who had the charge of the school for such children as 
did not belong to the Society. In those days, schools 
were not as numerous as in our day, and there was not 



312 HISTORY OF 

another school within four miles of Litiz, consequently^ 
the children, from the adjacent country, were all sent to 
this school. The children of the Society, had then a 
separate school. Among those who resided in this house, 
and served as teachers, the Rev. Bernhard A. Gruhe, 
deserves particular notice. It was not only the object of 
this good man to teach the children to read, write and 
cypher, but a.lso to impress good morals on their minds, 
and to acquaint them with their Saviour. Various were 
the methods which he adopted, but one in particular we 
Avould mention: Being an excellent ornamental writer, 
he wrote into his pupils' book, their names, adding some 
wish or prayer, and from time to time, he presented them 
with hymns of his own composition, or passage from 
Scripture, beautifully written. Many of these trifling 
presents, proved as seeds soAvn into good ground, v/hich 
grew, and have brought fruits unto salvation. To this 
day, there are Bibles and spelling books to be found in 
Warwick township, in which is found his writing, and 
many, who are grand, and great-grand children, of those, 
who, as children received of his trifling presents in those 
long by-gone days, hold them as dear as their fore- 
fathers did. 

In 1771, the St. Jacob's church, to which we referred 
to, in a preceding page, being mxUch out of repair, and 
not used any more for sacred worship, was taken down, 
and removed to the fulling mill below the village, and 
converted into a dwelling house, for the miller; this 
house stands to this day, and is at present the property of 
Mr. John Keller. ' 

The grave yard, which belonged to this church, is yet 
in existence, and is known by the name of "Warwick 
Grave Yard;" it is located a short distance southwardly 
from the village, near the Lancaster road. To persons 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 313 

who are fond of reading old epitaphs on tombstones, this 
place offers a fine opportunity. 

Having given the reader some account of the early 
settlement of this interesting village, we shall now 
attempt to describe it, as we find it in our day. 

It is not saying too much, if we state, that it is proba- 
bly the neatest and cleanest village in Lancaster county. 
As said before, its location is nearly east and west, ex- 
tending in that direction, about one-half a mile. There 
is not only pavement before all the houses through the 
whole village, but the different paths leading to the 
church, schools, &c., are well paved, with creek or lime- 
stone slabs. The square, around which are located the 
institutions, church and parsonage, is, perhaps, not sur- 
passed in beauty by any other spot in the county ; such 
is its splendor in the summer season, that it frequently 
occurs, that travellers stop in their journey to give it a 
closer examination than a mere transient notice. 

It is enclosed by a white fence, and tastefully laid out 
in gravel walks; around it is an avenue of locust and 
cedar trees, and the interior is adorned with Linden 
Cedar and Balm of Gilead trees, and a very great variety 
of shrubbery. From the beginning of May, till the end 
of October, different kinds of flowers are there found in 
bloom; its greatest splendor is in August, when the great 
variety of Hollyhocks and Dahlias are in bloom, and 
there are probably fev/ places where such a variety of 
tint and color is found as in this spot. The superin- 
tendence of this truly delightful spot is under the care 
and direction of Mr. Mathias Tschudy, 

The church, to which reference has been made, is 66 
feet in length, and 50 feet in depth; it is built of lime- 
stone, and has a very fine appearance, and the mason 
work in its front is generally considered a master-piece of 

27 



314 filSTORY 0^ 

Workmanship ; it is ornamented with a neat spire, atid 
has a town clock, which is remarkable, because it strikes 
the quarters. It has two entrances, at one of which the 
Brethren, and at the other the Sisters enter. Its interior 
is plain and very neat; there are no pews in it, but 
benches with backs. It has two galleries, and is pro- 
vided with an excellent organ. Originally, there was no 
pulpit in the church, but merely a table, covered with 
black cloth, at Avhich the minister officiated. It being 
fifty years in 1837, since the church had been conse- 
crated, various alterations were undertaken in that year, 
and among others, also, that of placing a pulpit in the 
place of the table. After all the repairs were com- 
pleted, the congregation celebrated the fiftieth anniver- 
sary of their church on Sunday the 13th of August, 
1837. A brief account of such a celebration among the 
Moravians may perhaps be interesting to the reader ; we 
shall, therefore, attempt to give some description of this 
church festival. The church was previously beautifully 
adorned with various inscriptions, and most tastefully 
decorated with flowers and evergreens, and the musicians 
selected and practiced their best sacred music ; and to 
render it still more harmonious, invited a number of the 
best vocal and instrumental performers from Bethlehem 
and Nazareth, to assist them on the occasion. On the 
evening of the 12th, the congregation met for the pur- 
pose of solemnly closing the remarkable period of fifty 
years, during which the Lord had permitted them to 
worship in this sanctuary. Early on the morning of the 
13th, all the inhabitants Averc awakened by solemn 
music, announcing to them the approach of the happy 
day, for which old and young had been looking wi^i 
Buch joyful anticipation. At eight o'clock, the congre- 
gation met for the first time, in the new period of their 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 3l5i 

church's existence, and dedicated the church, as well as 
themselves anew to the Lord. At ten o'clock, they met 
again, when an excellent address, suitable to the occa- 
sion, was delivered, and an account read of the first con- 
secration, August 13th, 1787, and also the names of all 
those who served as ministers within the transpired 
period. At two o'clock, there was a Love Feast, a 
church ceremony which is customary at all festival occa- 
sions among the Moravians — in token of fellowship and 
brotherly union, and is in imitation of a custom in the 
primitive churches ; during which the congregation and 
the choir, accompanied with instrumental music, alter- 
nately, sang anthems, which had been expressly printed 
for the occasion ; after that, the communicants met for 
the first time at the Lord's table in this new era of their 
church. In the evening, the beautiful square, which we 
have attempted to describe, was tastefully illuminated 
with upwards of 800 lights, and the whole congregation, 
together with numbers from the adjacent country, met in 
it for the purpose of solemnly closing this joyful festival. 
Anthems, which had been expressly printed for the occa- 
sion, were handed to all present, when in the solemn 
evening hour of tliat blessed sabbath, surrounded by 
thousands of beautiful flowers, and accompanied with 
instrumental music, all united in singmg the praises of the 
Lord, for all the blessings conferred on them as a con- 
gregation ; the scene was a heavenly one, and will long 
be remembered by all who witnessed it. 

The following ministers labored in succession, in the 
congregation at Litiz : 

1742, Count Nicolas Louis de Zinzendorf; 1743, Jacob 
Lischy; 1745, Daniel Neuberts; 1747, Leonard Schnell; 
1749, Christian H. Ranch; 1748 to 1753, Abraham 
Reinke, Senior j 1754, Michael Zahni, and Christian 



316 HISTORY OF 

Bader; 1755, Christian Krogstmpp and Abraham 
Reinkc, Senior; 1755 to 1787, Mathew Hehl; 175G 
Francis Christian Lcmbkc ; 1756, David Nitshmami, 
Daniel Bishop and Daniel Neubcrt ; 1757, George 
Weiser; 1759, Jacob Till; 1760, Abraham Rusmyer and 
Godfrey Roesler; 1762, Christian Krogstrupp; 1763, 
Bernhard AdamGrnbc; 1765, Nicholas Eberhard; 1774, 
Godfrey Roesler; 1 784, John Khngsohr; 1790, Andrew 
Huebner and Abraham Rcinke, Junior; 1801, John 
Herbst, John Meder and John F. Frecauf; 1811, Jacob 
Van Vleck and Constantino Miller; 1812, Andrew Be- 
nade, John M. Beck and Abraham Reinke, Junior; 
1822, Thomas Longballe; 1823, John Christian Beckler; 
1829, Andrew Benade and John F. Loeffler; 1836, 
WilUam Eberman and Charles F. Kluge; 1843, Peter 
WoUe and Charles W. Senft. 

The Schools. — Litiz has long been celebrated for its 
schools, and we shall attempt to give some description of 
them. 

There are four schools in the village; two of them are 
however, infant schools ; one for the little boys and one 
for the little girls. In these schools, the small children of 
the village, and some from the neighborhood, are taught 
to read, the rudiments of arithmetic, and some writing, 
and from these, they arc promoted into the two existing 
higher schools. 

The yoltng Ladies' Seminary. — The commence- 
ment of this Institution was as early as 1794. Previ- 
ous to the building of the edifice in which we find it at 
present, it was conducted partly in the Sister's House, and 
partly in a small house, adjacent thereto. In the year 
1804, on the 26th of October, the pupils then living in 
the Sister's House, moved into the new building, expressly 
built for school purposes. It is three stories high, and 86 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 8lT 

feet in length and 40 in depth. In the basement, is a 
large dining room, and the first and second story are the 
schoohooms, principal's residence, and a chapel for 
spiritual devotions. The third story is occupied as a 
dormitory, and a room called the sickroom, which is 
expressly set apart for such as may be indisposed ; a nurse 
resides in this room, whose duty it is to attend to such of 
the pupils, as it may be found necessary to remove 
into it. In the rear of the building is a large yard, ox 
play-ground, provided with a pavillion, seats, swings, 
&c. for the pleasure and amusement of the pupils. The 
Institution is provided with a very extensive Library, 
and as music is taught, every room is provided with a 
piano. It is customary in this Institution to have 
musical entertainments from time to time. A friend of 
ours who has occasionally been present, assures us, that 
the performances of the pupils, in vocal and instrumen- 
tal music, are truly excellent, and are probably not sur- 
passed in [ iiy otiier Institution of the kind. Ornamental 
needlework of various kinds, is also taught to great per- 
fection, and all other branches, which constitute a practi- 
cal education, receive their due share of attention. — 
Their are six Tutoresses engaged, two always residing 
in each schoolroom, with about fourteen pupils, whose 
duty it is, not only to instruct them, but to have a 
watchful eye over their morals, and to take walks with 
them, after the daily exercises are closed. We are 
indeed happy to be able to say, that the school is at 
I)resent in a very fl-)urishing condition, under the direc- 
tion of its present efficient Principal, Mr. E. A. Freeauf, 
and his amiable lady. 

The Principals of this Institution, since its establish- 
ment have been as follows: 

1794, Rev. John A. Huebner ; 1801, Rev. John Ilerbst, 
27* 



318 HISTORY OP 

1802, Rev. John Meder; 1805, Rev. John F. Freeauf; 
1815, Rev. Andrew Benade ; 1822, Rev. John C. Beck- 
ler; 1824, Rev. Samuel Renike ; 1826, Rev. John G, 
Kummer; 1833, Rev. Charles F. Kluge; 1836, Rev. 
Peter Wolle ; 1843, Rev. Eugene A. Freeauf. 

Among these. Rev. John F. Freeauf, the father of the 
present Principal, and the Rev. Andrew Benade, deserve 
particularly to be noticed, as it vras under their direction 
that this Institution was in its most flourishing condition. 
Long will the naiiies of good Old Pappy Freeauf, and 
eood Pappy Benade, as the young ladies were wont to 
call them, be remembered by the many who were placed 
into their care, and there is no doubt, should this meet 
the eye of such, they Avill remember with pleasure those 
happy days which they spent in Litiz school under their 
care and the many devout prayers they offered in their 
behalf, when met in the little chapel, as well as the many 
good and fatherly admonitions they gave them from time 
to time. 

The Young Gentlemen's Academy. — We have 
already stated that in the early years of Litiz, 
there were two schools, one for the boys, belonging to 
the society, and the other for those from the adjacent 
country. As Warwick township became more settled, so 
the schools increased, and there was no more necessity to 
send the children to Litiz, consequently, the one 'for the 
children from the country was discontinued. Mr. Chris- 
tian Schropp conducted the town school, for many years, 
and on the 2nd of January, 1815, Mr. John Beck, the 
present Principal, took charge of it. At that period, the 
school was held in an old building, which had been fixed 
up for that purpose, and which stood at the same place, 
where the pi'cscnt brick school house stands. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 319 

Mr. Beck spared neither pains nor expense in improv- 
ing the school, and his indefatigable exertions, as well as 
the various methods he adopted to further his pupils in 
their studies, became a subject of general remark. In 
1819, the school bogan to attract the attention of parents 
from abroad, and boys were brought from various places. 
In 1S22, it was found necessary to erect the present 
brick school house; the old building being too small to 
contain all the pupils. This building is two stories high, 
and is adorned with a neat cupola. The second story is, 
however, not occupied for school purposes, but as a 
concert hall, where the musical society of Litiz meets. — 
It is provided with an extensive musical library, and a 
number of instruments belonging to the Society. 

The school continued to increase from year to year ; 
and boys were brought from various parts of Pennsyl- 
vania, Virginia, Ohio, the Carolinas, Maryland, Louisi- 
ana, &c. This continued increase, rendered it neces- 
sary, not only to add another building, but also more 
teachers. Accordingly, the large building, formerly 
called the "Brethren's House,'' which is near the brick 
house, v/as engaged, and arranged for school purposes. 
The school is therefore at present conducted in two 
buildings, in which five teachers are employed; the 
school rooms, five in number, are large, and well venti- 
lated, and furnished with every thing that can render 
pupils comfortable; each pupil has his own desk and 
chair, and the number admitted into a room never ex- 
ceeds, at highest, twenty-four — this arrangement is made 
with the view to enable the teacher of each class, not 
only to do ample justice to each one in his charge, but 
also for the preservation of good order, and the separa- 
tion of the larger boys from the smaller ones. Each 
room is provided with a time-piece, and the vv^alls are 



S2(X HISTORY OF 

adorned with handsomely painted moral lessons, as welt 
8is Astronomical, Historical, Mathematical, and Geo- 
gi-aphical Charts. The school is likewise provided with 
an excellent Library, and a very extensive Philosophical 
and Chemical apparatus. Not far from the school, is a 
large play gromid for the pupils ; it is enclosed with a 
high fence, and has a number of shade trees in it. Over 
the gate, leading to it, there is an arch, on the inside of 
which is the following inscription in gold letters, the 
object of which is to serve as a perpetual monitor to the 
boys while at play: "In all your actions and amuse- 
ments, avoid profane language and quarrels.'^ The 
principal object in view in this insthution, is to give a 
good and practical English, Mathematical and Scien- 
tific education. The Latin and German languages are 
also taught, and for such as wish to learn drawing and 
draughting on mathematical principles, as well as music, 
it offers likewise advantages. The quiet village is very 
suitable for schools, and particularly for boys, there being 
no kind of temptations in their way; the great difference 
between Mr. Beck's method, and that of similar schools, 
attempted in imitation of his, has always been his socia- 
ble and parental intercourse with his pupils, by which 
means he gains their esteem and affection, and checks 
the slightest irregularity; the enthuiasm with which he 
has always been found to enter on his arduous duties, 
and responsible calling, deserves the highest commenda- 
tion. 

The Brother and Sister Houses. — We have had 
occasion to refer to these institutions, and as they form a 
a very conspicuous part in the beautiful square we have 
endeavored to describe, some account of their intent and 
origin may be interesting to the reader. This we give 
also with a view to remove erroneous ideas, which are 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 321 

held by many about them, namely, that they are con- 
vents or nunneries, such as are found in the Roman 
church. In order to give the reader their origin, we 
must refer him back as early as 1727, and in the last 
century. It was at that period, when tire emigrants 
from Bohemia and Moravia, from the Ir.'te: of which vhe 
society has its name, settled on the estate of Count Zin- 
zendorf, in Saxony. At that place, they built their first 
town caUed Herrnhut, which means in Englisl::, "Ths 
Lord's protection." Having united with the great 
object in view, to be a congregation of the Lord, to keep 
sacred, in holy union, those doctrines contained in the 
Holy Scriptures, and to promote, not only their own wel- 
fare, but also that of their fellow men, it became neces- 
sary to adopt some method or system. Among others 
was that of dividing the congregation into different 
classes, namely : the class of the married persons, the 
classes of single brethren and sisters, the classes of 
widowers and widows, the classes of boys and girls, be- 
tween the ages of twelve and eighteen, and the classes 
of children of both sexes. This classification they con- 
sidered necessary for the well-being of tlie spiritual and 
temporal welfare of their members, but always subject 
to such alterations and improvements as they should 
deem proper to make from time to time, or even to dis- 
continue the same if not found applicable. After some 
years of their existence in Saxony, it occurred that a 
great many persons applied to be admitted as members of 
the community; among these were many single persons 
of both sexes, for whom employment, as well as a home 
had to be provided, which in their peculiar situation was 
often attended with difficulty. The plan of building 
houses for tliem, was then adopted, namely: one for the 
single men, and one for the single women, which they 



322 HISTORY OP 

called Brother and Sister Houses. It was thought, in 
these houses the men could follow their professions, and 
the women sustain themselves with knitting, spinning, &c. 
This was the beginning of these institutions, and to this 
day, they are found in various parts of Germany, Holland^ 
France, England, Switzerland and Russia. The plan 
meeting with so much success in Europe, they were also 
introduced into this country, and accordingly, when Litiz 
was laid out, tlie places for their location were laid down 
in the original plan. 

In 1759, the brethren's house at Litiz was built — 
which, however, is not used for its original intent at 
present — it is built of limestone, is three stories high, 60 
feet in length and 37 feet in depth. The basement story 
was occupied as a kitchen and dining room ; the first 
story was divided into four rooms, in each of which nine 
or ten brethren resided ; part of the second story con- 
sisted of a large hall or chape!,, for spiritual purposes, 
which v/as provided with a very excellent organ. The 
remaining part was divided into dwelling rooms, in one 
of which resided the elder and steward ; the duty of the 
former was to care for the spiritual welfare of those in 
the house, and those of the latter for the temporal con- 
cerns thereof. One of the rooms in the second story was 
set apart for the boys between the ages of twelve and 
eighteen. The greater part of the third story was occu- 
pied as a dormitory, where they all slept ; aside of it, 
was a room set apart for such as might get sick, and one 
of the brethren, who had the office of waiting on them, 
resided in this room. In each room, where the brethren 
resided, there was one who was called the overseer, 
whose duty it was to correct any disorders which might 
arise, care for fuel, repairs and cleanliness in the room. — 
In the room in which ''le boys resided, there were 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 323 

generally three overseers, whose duty it was to guard 
over their morals, and to guide them in the path of 
virtue and religion, go witli them to church, and during 
the winter season, to devote three evenings in the 
week for instructing them in useful -s^yvices. These 
boys were partly employed in the town, and partly in 
the Brother House, in learning various mechanical trades. 
In the rear of the building, there are several houses, 
which were formerly occupied as shops for cabinet 
makers, chair makers, weavers, &c. The shoemakers 
and tailors had their shops in the house. There also 
belonged a very extensive farm to it, on which a num- 
ber were employed. Much attention was paid to fatten- 
ing cattle, and it was nothing unusual to buy whole droves 
for that purpose, which when fat were sold to the Lan- 
caster and Philadelphia butcliers. In the year 1817 it 
was found proper to discontinue the Brother House at 
Litiz, and after that period, it was for a time occupied by 
several families, and at present is used for school purposes. 
During the Revolutionary war, it was for a short period 
used as a hospital for invalid soldiers, a number of whom 
died there, and were buried a short distance eastwardly 
from the village. Although this system did not suit all 
who resided in this house, yet it must be admitted, that 
there are numl)crs, who will ever ascribe their welfare to 
having been in their younger years an inmate, and under 
the care and admonition of such, who from experience 
could guide and instruct them. 

The Sister's House.— This was built A. D. 1758.— 
it is likewise built of limestone, three stories high, 90 feet 
in length, and 37 feet in depth. Tiie basement story is, 
like that formerly in the Brother House, used for a kitchen 
and dining room ; the first as well as part of the second 
story is divided into dwelling rooms j one part of the 



8S4 HISTORY OP 

second story, is a Piall or chapel for spiritual purposes and 
provided with an organ ; the greater part of the third 
story is a dormitory, aside of which is a room for such as 
may be indisposed. The arrangements are in all respects 
similar to those we have described in the Brother House. 
A small farm, together with a very large vegetable 
garden, from which the kitchen which furnishes the table 
of the Ladies' Seminary is provided, are attached to it. 
The number of sisters, who reside in the house at this 
present time, is not so large as formerly, yet the greater 
part of the rooms remain occupied. There was never 
an^^ kind of vow of celibacy connected with these Insti- 
tutions ; any of the sisters can leave the house if she has 
any desire to change her situation. 

In larger Moravian communities, similar houses are 
established for such widows as desire, to live retired, and 
are called widows' houses. The individuals residhig in 
these establishments pay a small rent, by which, and by 
the sums paid for their board, the expenses thereof are 
defrayed, assisted occasionally by the profits on the sale 
of ornamental needle^vork, confectionaries, &c. on which 
some of the inmates subsist. We hope our account of 
these Institutions will prove satisfactory to our readers, 
and particularly to such as have hitherto entertained 
different opinions. They are in their character nothing 
more than the different asylums for widows &c. which 
are found in Philadelphia and other cities, and we are 
inclined to think, the idea for establishing those in the 
cities, has been borrowed from the Moravian Institutions. 

The Grave Yard."* — This beautiful spot is located 
on a rising ground to the south of the village, of which 

•November 8, 1758, a lad of three years, named John Baum- 
gartner, was buried in this Grave Yard; being the first inter- 
ment; the occasion was improved by solemnly consecrating 



LANCASTilR COtJNTY. 325 

"^•^e \vill give the reader some account, there being perhaps 
not another similar arrangement to be found in Lan- 
caster county. It is enclosed with a white fence, along 
which there is an avenue of trees ; there are three gates 
leading to it, one large one, and two at its sides of smaller 
dimensions ; the large one is never opened except on 
funeral occasions. Over this there is an arch, on 
which are the following inscriptions, in golden letters : 
Firstly, that which is seen by the visitor as he approaches 
it, through a thickly planted grove, " Blessed are the 
dead which die in the Lord:" — Rev. chap. 14-13 v: Sec- 
ondly, that on the interior side, "I am the resurrection, 
and the life, he that believeth in me, though he were 
dead, yet sliall he live:" — St. John chap. 11-25 v. 
After entering the gate, the visitor finds himself in a 
beautiful avenue of cedar trees^ V\^hich separates the 
graves of the males from those of the females, the former 
being on the right and the latter on the left as he passes 
on. We have before stated that the congregation is 
divided into classes ; in the same order then as it is 
divided, so they are laid on the grave yard ; here the 
visitors find the rows containing nothing but the married 
men and on the opposite side married women ; as he 
passes on, those of the single classes, and further, those 
of little boys and girls under the age of twelve. The 
graves are all of two sizes, being without distinction of 

this parcel of ground as a resting place for the remains of the 
departed. On the arrival of the funeral procession, an appro- 
pViate address wasdelivered by the Rev. Mathew Hehl, then, the 
usual funeral service while the corpse was let in the grave, was 
read; after which, the assembled congregation knelt down, 
and with solemn prayer consecrated the spot, for all who m 
future would be enterred here, to rest in hope till that import- 
ant moment when Christ shall call those who died in the Lord> 
from their graves to a glorious resurrection. B. 

28 



326 HISTORY OF 

an oblong shape, and flats on the top, to which shape 
they are brought by two moulds, expressly kept for that 
purpose, one for adults and the other for children. The 
sides are planted with sod, and the tops are overrun with 
the Virginia mountain pink, which in the month of May 
is in full bloom, and renders the appearance of the graves 
one of the most beautiful imaginable. On each grave 
there is a marble tombstone which, without distinction, 
lays flat on the grave, verifying the old adage "Death 
levels all, both great and small." 

The epitaphs contain the name, birth and departure ; 
to some, a few more lines have been added, a number of 
which are truly edifying, and very striking. Each tomb- 
stone is numbered and the highest number in May, 1843, 
is 527. The first person was buried there in 1758. 

It is truly remarkable, that out of the several thousand 
children, who liave been sent to the Litiz Schools, only 
one died while at school. This was Miss Sarah Ann 
Cazy, from Kent county, Maryland, and who we are 
informed, was in a delicate state of health when brought 
to the school; her grave is No. 379, and is found in one 
of the rows containing young girls between the ages of 
twelve and eighteen. This only death, certahily speaks 
volumes in favor of the healthy location of the village, 
as well as of the care and attention which is paid to the 
children entrusted to these schools. 

Having given the reader an account of the graveyard, 
it may also be agreeable to him to know how funerals 
are conducted among these Moravians, who live in a 
community together. When a member dies or " goes 
HOME," as it is generally termed among them, the depar- 
ture is immediately announced with solemn nmsic from 
the steeple of the churcii. It is customary not to bury 
any person after his departure, until three days have 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 327 

elapsed, and in order to accomplish this, particularly in 
the summer season, when bodies are more subject to 
corruption, there is a small building or vault behind the 
church for the purpose of keeping the departed in a better 
state of preservation. To this place the remains are 
removed, which however, is optional with the relatives 
of the departed ; another reason why they have this 
arrangement, is, in case a person dies of a contagious 
disease, that it may be prevented from spreading further, 
by removing the body from his residence. On all funeral 
occasions, there is first an address to the congregation in 
the church, which is closed by the choir singing an ap- 
propriate anthem. The congregation then assembles in 
the large yard behind the church, in the middle of which 
is placed the bier with the coffin, which is covered with 
a white pall, instead of black, as is the general custom ; 
on the pall the words " Jesus my Redeemer liveth,'^ are 
wrought in blue silk. After the singing of a hymn the 
procession moves in the following order : First the chil- 
dren, two by two, attended by their teachers, next the 
music and clergy, and then the corpse and relatives ; if it 
be a funeral of a brother, the brethren follow next to the 
relations, and if a sister, the sisters ; as the procession 
moves, the solemn music of the band is heard playing 
tunes of well known hymns, expressing the hopes of 
eternal life, and a glorious resurrection. After the con- 
gregation is arranged on the graveyard, the corpse is 
lowered into the grave during the singing of an appro- 
priate hymn ; after which the funeral service customary 
at burials is read, and the singing of another hymn closes 
the ceremony ; the procession then returns in the same 
order as before described. We have been thus explicit 
on this subject because the grave yard and funerals, in 
iiearly every respect are different from those elsewhere 



328 HISTORY OP 

and that an accurate description might, pro v,c interesting 
lo the reader. 

The Litiz Spring. — This spring, which is visited by 
so many persons, is situated on the land of the Society, 
about one-half mile westwardly from the village, and is 
probably one of the largest springs in Pennsylvania. — 
There is only one fountain from which all the water, 
which forms a considerable stream, is discharged, and 
has water suliicient for some of the largest merchant 
mills in the county. From its head to the Conestoga, 
into Avhich the stream, denominated on the map of Lan- 
caster county, " Carter's Creek," empties, it is six miles, 
and in that distance, there are seven mills. The water 
is the pure limestone, and very fresh. In former times, 
it formed a large pond, around which Indians resided, of 
which the number of Indian arrorw heads, hatchets, and 
stones used for throwing hi their sUngs, give ample 
proof. Could these Indians return and see the great 
change which has taken place at their spring, they 
Avould probably not believe it to be the same, from which 
they had formerly drunk. About the year 17S0, some of 
the inhabitants of Litiz began to improve it by enclosing 
it with a circular wall and filling up part of the pond, 
and in later years the remaining part was filled up, and 
there, where there was formerly a considerable body of 
water, there is at this time a beautiful park of trees. — 
Various improvements were undertaken from time to 
time ; but at no period was it found in such an im- 
proved state as at this time. Around it are a number of 
seats, and on the hill, from under which it has its som'ce, 
tliere are handsomely laid out gardens, arbors and orna- 
mental shrubbery. From the spring to the village is an 
avenue of Linden and Maple trees, Avinding along the 
stream, the path of which is partly covered with gravely 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 329 

and partly wit?i tan, wliich renders access to it easy in 
wet, as well as dry weather. Along this avenue there 
are various seats under shade trees for the accommoda- 
tion of visitors, and also several neat bridges, in case 
they wish to cross the stream. Among other attractions, 
there is a water work on a small scale; this consists of a 
forcing pump, the wheel of which is set in motion by the 
stream, and forces the water into a circular basin, 
located unler a number of oaks, which have grown 
there in a circular form, as if nature had predestined the 
spot for a retreat of pleasure. In the centre of the 
basin there is a jet, through which the water is forced by 
the pump to the height of fifteen feet, forming thereby a 
beautiful fountain, and rendering the spot still more 
delightful. 

Fire Engines. — The village is provided v/ith two 
excellent Fire Engines, one of which called the " Friend- 
ship,'^ was built in Philadelphia, by Messrs. Agnew & 
Merrick, and the other, called the " Assistance," by Mr. 
Martin Shreiner of Lancaster. The Friendship is kept 
in the upper part of the town, and the Assistance in the 
lower, in buildings expressly put up for that purpose. — 
There are two well organized companies, and their 
apparatus, consisting of hose, ladders, axes, hooks, &c., 
is very extensive. Only one fire occurred in Litiz since 
its establishment; this was on the 16th of Ju'y, 1837, 
when five buildhigs were consumed, and among them 
was the house to which we have referred, which 
formerly was the so called Warwick church. 

Population, Mechanics, &c. — The population of 
of Litiz is at present 366 ; it contains fifty-five dwelling 
houses, and the following number of mechanics : two 
shoemakers, three tailors, one confectioner, one weaver, 
one tanner, one brewer, two clock and vratch-makers, 

28* 



o30 HISTORY OP 

one silver-smith, one potter, one smoke-pipe manufac- 
turer, two stores, one tavern, two coopers, one chair- 
maker, two cabinet makers, twp tin-smiths, one lock- 
smith, one copper-smith, two saddlers, one blue dyer, 
one glue-boiler, one blacksmith, one wheel-wright, one 
hatter, three tobacconists, one malt marmfacturer, one 
post oflice, four schools, one justice of the peace, and one 
conveyancer. 

One of the stores and the tavern belong to the com- 
munity, to which also belongs the land, which is partly 
divided into farms, and partly into lots, which are rented 
by the inhabitants, and the profits arising from the rents, 
are applied for various purposes. 

Formerly there was an extensive chip hat and bonnet 
manufactory carried on by Mr. Mathias Tschudy, 
which gave employment to many. He was the only 
person in the United States that understood the art of 
manufacturing them, and supplied nearly all the cities 
and country with his hats. Tlie palm leaf and straw 
hats, coming into fashion, they were preferred, and con- 
sequently the factory was discontinued. 

Organs were also built in Litiz in former times, which 
for tone and excellent workmanship, are A^ery celebrated., 
A number of the best organs in Philadelphia, Baltimore 
and Lancaster, are specimens tliereof; and among 
others, the large and beautiful organ in the Lutheran 
church, at Lancaster, is one of them. 

In lormer times, the augers which were sent from 
England liad no screw, serving as a point, as we have 
them hi our day. The invention of this screw was first 
made at Litiz, by Mr. John li. Kauch, Senior, during the 
last century, the pattern was then sent to England by 
Judge Iloiiry, after which the screw point was generally 
introduced. 



LANCASTER COT iNTY. 33 > 

The first plan of the ten-plate 5 loves was also invented 
at Litiz, by Mr. Godfrey Albright, who made a pattern 
and gave it to Robert Coleman, Esq., and who then 
introduced them. 

Note. — Members of the Assembly < '■ Lancaster county, — 1749, 
James Wright, Arthur Patterson, Calvin Cooper, Peter Worrall; 
1750, Arthur Patterson, Calvin Cooper, James Wright, James 
Webb; 1751, Peter Worrall, James Wright, Calvin Cooper, 
Arthur Patterson ; those of 1751, were all re-elected for 1752, 
1753 and 1754; 1755, no return made, but James Wright and 
James Webb, appeared; 1756, Emanuel Carpenter, James 
Wright, James Webb, John Douglass; 1757, Isaac Saunders, 
Emanuel Carpenter, James Webb, James Wright; those of 
1757, were re-elected for 1758, 1759 and 1760. 



335 HISTORY OP 



CHAPTER VI, 



Hostilities between the Englis'a arid the French in America— Delaware 
and Shawanese Indians commit murders — General Braddock's arrival, 
&c. — Braddock's defeat — Dismay caused among the frontier settlers — 
Paxton and Tulpehocken refugees at Ephrata — Murders committed by 
the Indians — Block House erected at Lancaster — Inhabitants of Lan- 
caster county petition the Assemblyfor a Militia law — Scalping parties — 
War suspended against the Indians — Preparations made to rc})el Indian 
incursions — Conrad W'eiser commands nine companies — French hos- 
tilities continued — Murders committed by the Indians in 1757 — Indian 
treaties, at Lancaster and at Easton — Minutes, extract from, of Indian 
treaty, at Lancaster — King Beaver's speech — Treaty held at Easton; 
fifteen tribes of Indians represented — Murders by Indians in Tulpe- 
hocken — .Murders committed by the Indians in 1758 — Cumberland over- 
run by savages — Inhabitants flee to Lancaster, &c. — Barracks erected at 
Lancaster — Work-House erected at Lancaster — The Irish sell to the 
German?, and seat themselves at Chestnut Glade — Baron Stiegel lays out 
Manheim — Xotice of the Daron — Notes of variety ; Emanuel Carpenter, 

Ardent hostilities between the English and French 
commenced in America, in 1754. The events of that 
year in America, had determined both England and 
France to send re-intorcements to their colonies. The 
French courted, and won the assistance of many of the 
Indians, who had felt themselves aggrieved by the 
English; especially the Dela wares and Shawanese/* 

*The Indians felt themselves aggrieved. At a treaty held 
with the Indians, at Easton, Pennsylvania, in November, 1756; 
upon the Governor requesting of the Indians to know the 
cause of their uneasiness, and hostile conduct. Teedyuscung, 
chief of the Dclawarcs, and who then represented several 
nations, mentioned several; among which were the instiga- 
tions of the French, and the ill usage or grievance they had 
suffered both in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. When the 
Governor desired to be informed what these grievances were, 
Teedyuscung replied, "I have not far to go for an instance : 



LANCASTER COUNTT. 333 

whose cruelty was stimulated by the French promising 
"to restore their lands." They committed gross atroci- 
ties upon the provincialists — perpetrated cruel and cold- 
blooded murders. At this time the Six Nations, a 
numerous people, were seated on the western waters — 
they were cold towards the English cause — "divided 
among themselves, and barely maintained their neutrality. 
Some of them had moved to Canada — those who re- 
mained were only kept pacific by the liberality of the 
province. The French were making preparations to 
subdue the country, and while thus preparing, England 
determined to oppose '•' their growing power. ''^ General 
Braddock, Adjutant General St. Clair, and the regiments 
of Dunbar and llalkett, arrived from Europe, in March, 
1755, at Alexandria, Virginia. 

To oppose a formidable obstacle to the invasion of the 
French, Franklin was commissioned on " liberal terms to 
procure one hundred fifty wagons, and fifteen hundred 
pack-horses. In a few weeks all the wagons, and two 
hundred and fifty pack-horses were obtained in Lan- 
caster, York, and Cumberland county. The wagons and 
pack-horses, with the necessary provisions, met General 
Braddock on Will's creek, Fort Cumberland. Braddock 
being amply furnished with all the necessaries, and re-in- 
forceii by a numerous body of Americans and Indians, 

this very ground, that is under me;" striking it with his foot; 
" was my land and inheritance ; and is taken from me by 
fraud: when I say this ground, I mean all the land lying be- 
tween Tohiccon creek and Wyoming, on the river Susque- 
hanna. * * * I have been served so in this province." — 
Minutes of Conference at Easlnn. 

The Delawares and Shawanesc, who had emigrated from the 
south, and by mere permission to settle in 1698, had no title to 
land, yet they claimed some by the permission from th<s 
proper owners. ^ 



334 HISTORY OF 

broke up his encampment, June 12th, and marched his 
army to the fatal field, where, on the Pth of July, 1755^ 
he met with an unparalleled discomfiture. He had five 
horses shot under him, and received a ball through the 
arms and lungs — he expired the ISth of July. Sixty- 
four, out of eighty-four of his officers and one-half 
of his privates, were killed or wounded. The issue 
of this battle inspirited the enemy, and dispirited the 
provincialists. Dismay and consternation brooded upon 
the frontier settlers. "The enemy now roamed unmo- 
lestedly and fearlessly along the western lines of Vir- 
ginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, committing the most 
appalling outrages, and wanton cruelties, that the cu- 
pidity, and the ferocity of the savage could dictate. — 
The first invasions were in Cumberland county, whence 
they soon extended to the Susquehanna. The inhabi- 
tants, dwelling at the distance of from one to three miles 
apart, fell unresistingly, were captured, or fled in terror 
to the interior settlement. The main body of the enemy 
encamped on the Susquehanna, thirty miles above Harris^ 
Ferry, whence they extended themselves on both sides 
the river. The settlements at the great Cove in Cum- 
berland county, were destroyed, and many of the inhabi- 
tants slaughtered or made captives,* and the same fate 
fell upon them at Tulpehocken."t 

*One Johnson, had been captured in Lancaster county — 
Washington while being on a scouting party — 1758, took three 
prisoners of the Indians among whom was Johnson. — Gor- 
don's Fa. 367. 

fOn the 14th of December 1755, the savages attacked the 
house of F. Reichclsderfer, in Albany township, Berks county, 
R. was in the field, and escaped. The Indians murdered his 
two children, set his buildings on fire, destroyed his grain, and 
killed his cattle. At Jacob Gerhart's, neighbor of Mr. Reich- 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 335 

During the time of these hostilities, the doors of the 
Sieben Taegcr at Ephrata were open for the reception 
of the inhabitants of Tulpchocken and Paxton settle- 
ments. They did not even consider their cloisters, 
chapels and meeting rooms too sacred ; these they gave 
for the accommodation of those who were driven from 
their homes by the incursions of the hostile Indians. To 
give both the inhabitants and those who fled thither, 
protection against the infuriated savage, a company of 
infantry was despatched by the Government from Phila- 
delphia to Ephrata,* and on representation of the 
character of the society, by the commissioners who were 
sent to visit the place, the Government made them offers 
of large presents, which they respectfully declined to 
receive, except two large communion goblets, v/iiich was 
the only rccompence they would receive.! 

elsderfer, they killed one man, two women. Six children, 
slipped under the bed, one of whom was burned, the other 
escaped. 

In March, 1756, they burned the house and barn of Barnabas 
Seitle, and the mill of Peter Conrad, in Berks county, and 
killed the wife of BalserNcytong, and made captive his son, a 
lad of eight years of age: they fired upon David Howel, five 
times, and the last time shot him through the arm. — Gordon. 

Peter MilleFm in his Chronicon Ephratense, p. 203, speak- 
ing of this period, says: — Untcrdessen kam der Fiend alle 
Tage dem Lager der Einsamen naeher, und war nur noch 13 
]\Ieilen davoaab, die FluecUingeliefen Ephrata zu und suchten 
shutz by denen, die des shultzes selbst bedurften. Alle Tage 
brachten die Boten neue Nachtrichten von Mordthaten, 
welches sie ins gemien einem nouen Zusatz vermehrtcn. 

*Manche zeiten war Ephrata voUer Roth-roeckc. — Chron, 
Ephra. 202. 

tW. M. Fahnestock, M. D. 



336 HISTORY OF 

In the town of Lancaster, preparations were made in 
the latter part of November, and the early part of 
December, to erect a block-house. From the following 
letter, dated Lancaster, December 1st, 1755, addressed to 
James Hamilton, Esq., we may learn that the inhabitants 
of the comity feared the incursions of the Lidians : 

Honored Sir: — I received the favor of yours of the 
24th, November, and we are all much pleased by your 
willingness to contribute to the building of a block-house. 
The savages who committed the murders in Paxton are 
now beheved to be very numerous, perhaps, one 
hundred. A number of families, but thirty-five miles 
from us, are entirely cut off Farmers are flying from 
their plantations to Reading. iVn alarm, last night, 
about twelve o'clock; we assembled in the square, say, 
three hundred, but with fifty guns ; it was shocking to 
hear at such a moment, when in expectation of the 
savages, that we had neither a sufficiency of guns, nor 
ammunition. Thanks be to God, the alarm was false. — 
The block-house will be built on the north side of the 
north end of Queen street. There will be a wide ditch 
around it, a small draw bridge ; one important use is to 

Note. — A petition was presented, November 7, 1755, to the 
Assembly, from divers inhabitants of Paxton Narrows, Lancas- 
ter county, prayingforthecnactmcntof amilitialaw, orto gran 
asufficicnt sum of money to maintain such a number of regular 
troops as may be thought necessary to defend their frontiers, 
and buiU fortifications in proper places; also, that Conrad 
Weiser might be sent to the Indians, at or about Shamokin, in 
order to sound their dispositions, and engage them to come 
down among the inhabitants with their wives and children, 
iv'here they might be plentifully supplied wilh every necessary, 
and be out of the reach of the intrigues of enemies.-— l^o/es of 
Assembly. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 337 

place our wives, girls and and children within, that 
they may be in safety. * -^ * * These are fearful 
times. God only knows how they will end. 
I am yours, 

Edward Shippen. 
Another, dated Lancaster, December 5, 1755. 
Honored Sir: — The fort we have agreed to build, is 
as follows: For the stockage, the logs split in the mid- 
dle, and set on end, three feet in the ground, placed on 
the north side of the town, between Queen and Duke 
street; with curtains 100 feet. The planks of the 
bastions, 16 feet; and the saws of said bastions, 30 feet 
each. Yours, &c., 

Edward Shippen. 
James Hamilton, Esq., Bush Hill. 

Marauding parties of French and Indians were still 
on the frontiers in January, 1756, attacking the settle- 
ments on the Juniata river, murdering and scalping such 
of the inhabitants as did not escape, or were not pri- 
soners. To guard against these devastations, a chain of 
forts and block-houses were built, garrisoned with from 
twent]/ to seventy-five provincials, as the situation and 
importance of the places required. 

"The friendly Indians were gathered in from the 
Susquehanna to Philadelphia, lest they should be mis- 
taken for enemies. These did not remain long at Phila- 
delphia, headed by their leaders. Scarroyady and Mon- 
tour — tiicy merited praise from the whites — at the risk of 
their lives they visited the several tribes of Indians 
seated along the Susquehanna, to dissuade them from 
taking up arms. 

While preparations were in progress to wage war with' 
certainty against the Shawanese and Delawares,, in- 

39 



338 HISTORY OIP 

formation was received by the Governor,* '"'that Sir 
William Johnson, through the mediation of the Six 
Nations, had succeeded in disposing the Shawanese and 
Delawares to an accommodation, and that these tribes 
had promised to refrain from hostilities. On the part of 
the province, the Governor suspended the war against 
the Indians, by proclamation.*' A treaty was pro- 
posed, and acceded to. ' It was held at Easton. But 
scarce had the Indians returned to their wigwams, when 
new scenes of cruel murders were perpetrated on the 
southward of the Blue Mountains.t The frontier set- 
tlers were driven into the interior. "In 1755, the 
country west of the Susquehanna, possessed three 
thousand men fit to bear arms, and in 1756, exclusive of 
the provincial forces, there were not one huhdred; fear 
having driven the greater part into the interior." 

Successfully to repel the insurgents, the Governor and 
provincial commissioners raised tv\renty-five companies, 
amounting to fourteen hundred rnen.t Nine of these 

•Governor Morris of Pennsylvania, thought proper by pro- 
clamation, to declare war against all Indian nations who should 
persist in so doing; offering one hundred and fifty dollars for 
every hostile Delav/are Indian taken alive, and one hundred 
and thirty dollars for every scalp, inviting at the same time, 
all those who laid down the hatchet, to meet at a treaty of 
peace. — Heckeweldei'^s Nar. 50. 
fHeckewelder's Narrative. 

|It appears the government v/as somewhat remiss in timely 
action. Intelligence arrived at Philadelphia, April 13,1756, 
that the people of the back counties were about to meet at 
Lancaster to march to Philadelphia, and make some demands 
of the legislature in session. The loth of the same month Mr. 
Chew and others were sent by the governor to persuade the 
people to desist. April 21, Mr. Chew and others returned from 
Lancaster ; and the governor summoned the Assembly for the 
lOth of May.— f/az. Pa. Reg. V. 2S7. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 339 

companies were commanded by Lieut. Colonel Conrad 
Weiser; they were stationed at different points, to meet 
the exigencies of the time and place, one at Fort Augusta; 
one at Hunter's mill, seven miles above Harrisburg, on 
the Susquehanna; one-half company on the Swatara, at 
the foot of the North Mountain ; one company and a 
half at Fort Henry, close to the gap of the mountain, 
called Tothea Gap; one company at Fort William, near 
the forks of the Schuylkill river, six miles beyond the 
mountain; 0:13 company at Fort Allen, at Gnadenhutten, 
a Moravian settlement : the other three companies were 
scattered between the rivers Lehigh and Delaware, at 
the disposition of the captains, some at farm-houses, 
others at mills, fi'om three to twenty in a place. Major 
James Burd and Colonel Armstrong, had the command 
of the other companies; these were principally sta- 
tioned west of the Susquehanna.* " The Shawanese and 
Delaware Indians, stimulated and abetted by the French, 
kept up their hostilities, till 1757, when negotiations for 
peace commenced with Teed3aiscung, the chief of th3 
Delaware and Shawanese tribes, on the Susquehanna, 
their fury abated. But the French and Western Indians, 
still roamed in small parties over the country, committing 
murders. The counties of Cumberland, Berks, North- 
ampton and Lancaster, were, during the spring and 
summer months, of 1757, kept in continual alarm,! and 

*Gordon's Pa. 

fMarcli 29, 1757, the Indians made a breach at Rocky 
Springs, where one man was killed and eleven taken prisoners. 
April 2d, 1757, William McKinnie and his son were killed near 
Chambers's fort. April 17th, Jeremiah Jack, near Potomac, 
was taken captive, and two of his sons killed, and a man and 
woman were drowned in the Potomac, while endeavoring to 
escape. April 23d, John Martin and William Blab were 



340 HISTORY OP 

some of the savage scalping parties were pushed on, to 
within tliirty miles of Philadelphia." 

Several Indian treaties were held, in 1757; one at 
Lancaster, "^ in May; another at Easton, in August. At 

killed, and Patrick McClelland wounded in the shoulder, who 
afterwards died of his wound, near Maxwell's fort, on Cono- 
cocheague creek. May 14th, Major Campbell and one Tussey 
were killed or taken captive, with fourteen others, rear 
Potomac. May 12, John Martin and Andrew Paul, both old 
men, were taken from Conococheague. May 13, two men 
killed, near McCormick'siort, Conodoguinet. May 16, eleven 
persons killed at Paxton, Lancaster county. June 9, James 
Holiday, and fourteen men killed and taken ; James Long's 
son and another man, killed in a quarry at Fort Frederick. — 
Nineteen men killed in amillatQuitipihilla, Lancaster county, 
and four were killed in Shearman's valley ; all done in one 
week. June 6, two men were killed, and five taken prisoners, 
near Shippensburg. July 18, six men killed or taken from a 
field, near Shippensburg. July 19, nineteen men killed and 
taken while reaping in a field, near Shippensburg. August 
17, William Waugh^barn was burnt, in the Tract, York 
county, by Indians. September 9, one boy and girl taken 
from Donegal, Lancaster county. October 1 and 2, a very 
great slaughter, near Opiken, in Virginia, where more than 
sixty were killed and taken. November 9, John Woods, his 
wife and mother-in-law, and John Archer's wife were killed, 
four children taken, and nine men killed, near McDowell's 
fort— Loudon's Narrative, 11. 200-208. 

*At the tjea+y held, May 29, 1757, between Governor Denny 
and the Indians of the Six Nations, they complained of 
grievances, and assigned a few causes of disaflection. 

" Brothers, some years ago, in the Jer-.eys, one of the head 
of the Delawares had been out hunting. On his return, he 
called to see a gentleman, a friend of his, one of your people, 
whom he found in the field: when the gentlemen saw him, he 
came to meet him. It was rainy weather, and the Delaware 
chief had his gun under his arm ; they metatafence, andasthey 
reached their hands to each other, the Delaware's gun went 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 341 

the latter, three hundred Indians, representations of ten 
tribes, chiefly from the Susquehanna, (those on the Ohio 
were not inchided) with their chief, Teedyuscung, at- 
tended. Before departing from the treaty, they not only 

off, by accident, and shot him dead. He was very mucli 
grieved, went to the house, and told t^j gentleman's wife what 
had happened; and said, he was willing to die, and did not 
choose to live after his friend. She immediately sent for a 
number of the inhabitants: when they were gathered, some 
said it was an accident, and could not be helped ; but the 
greatest number were for hanging him; and he was taken 
by the sheriff, and carried to Amboy, where he was tried and 
hanged. 

" There was another misfortune happened : a party of the 
Shav/anese, who were going to war against their enemies, in 
their way through Carolina, called at a house, not suspecting 
any harm, as they were among their friends : a number of the 
inhabitants rose and took them prisoners, on account of some 
mischief which was done them about that time; suspecting 
them to be th3 people who had done the mischief; and carried 
them to Charlsfjton, and put them in prison, where the chief 
man, called " The Pride,*' died. 

♦' The relaUons of those people were much exasperated 
against you, our brothers, the English, on account of tae ill 
treatment you gave their friends; and have been continually 
spiriting up their nations to take revenge. 

"Brothers, you desired us to open our hearts, and inform 
you of every th:.ng we knew that might have given rise to the 
quarrel between you and our r.ephev.-s and brothers: That, in 
former times, our fcre-fathers conquered the Delawaras, and 
put petticoats on theni ; a long time after that, they' lived 
among you, our brothers: but, upon some difference between 
you and them, we thought proper to remove them, giving them 
lands to plant and hunt on, at Wyoming Tend Juniata, ou the 
Susqu&ha:ina: but you, covetcus of land, made plantations 
there, and spoiled their hunting grounds ; they then com- 
plained to us, and v;e looked over these lands, and found their 
complaints to be true. 

"At this time they carried on a correspondence with the 
29* 



343 HISTORY OF 

agreed to a cessation of hostilities against the provin- 
ciaUsts, but agreed to take up arms against the French. 
A definite treaty, however, was not held between the 
English and Indians, before the month of October, 1748, 
when a convention was held at Easton with the Indians, 
which lasted from the 17th to the 26th of that month. — 
There were present, on the part of the English, the Go- 
vernors of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with Sir Wil- 
liam Johnson, and other agents. The Indians who 
assisted at this treaty, were the Mohawks, Oneidas, 

French; by which means the French became acquainted with 
all the causes of complaint they had against you ; and as your 
people were daily increasing their settlements, and by these 
means you drove them back into the arms of the French ; and 
they took the advantage of spiriting them up against you, by 
telling them, ' Children, you see, and we have often told you, 
how the English, your brothers, serve you ; they plant all the 
CO untry, and drive you back ; so that, in a little time, you will 
have no land ; it is not so with us; though we build trading 
houses on your lands, we do not plant; we have our provisions 
from over the great water.' 

' We have opened our hearts, and told you what complaints 
5ve have heard that they had against you ; and our advke to 
you is, that you .'end for the Senecas and for them ; treat them 
kindly, and rather give them part of their fields back again 
than differ with them. It is in your power to settle all the 
differences with them, if you please.' — Minutes of the Indian 
Treaties. 

"King eaver was also present, and made a speech: 'When 
our Great Father came first, we stood on the hidian's path; 
we looked to the sun as he rose in the east; we gave the 
English venison; the English gave us many, many good 
things; but he English trod on our toes — we turned our faces 
to the west — the English trod on our heels — we walked on — 
the English followed— wc walked on, not knowing where to 
rest— '.lie English were at our heels. Father, w^e are weary^ 
we wish to rest.' "' 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 343 

Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas, Tuscaroras, Nanticokes, 
Conoys, Tiiteloes, Chugnuts, Delawares, Uiiamies, Mini- 
sinks, Mohicons, and Wappingers, whose deputies, with 
Hieir women and children, amounted to 507. "^ Peace 
and friendship had now been established between the 
Enghsh and Indians; all fear of an Indian war van- 
ished, and the minds of the people had been at rest for 
some time; but the French war still continued, and occa- 
sional barbarities were committed upon the frontier set- 
tlers, by the Indians, till near the close of the war be- 
tween the English and the French, in 1762 ;t "for there 
had been a secret confederacy formed among the Shawa- 
nese, the tribes upon the Ohio and its tributary waters, 
and about Detroit, to attack, simultaneously, all the 
English posts and settlements on the frontiers. Their 
plan was deliberately and skilfully projected. The 
border settlements were to be invaded during harvest, the 
men, corn, and cattle, to be destroyed, and the out-posts 
to be reduced by famine, by cutting off their supplies.— 
Pursuant to this plan, the Indians fell suddenly upon the 
traders, whom they had invited among them, mur- 
dering many, and plundered the effects of all, to 
au immense value, 

♦Holmes' An. II. 86. 

f July 1, 1757, three men and four children, were murdered 
and scalped in the vicinity of Tulpehocken. The E-ev. John 
Nicholas Kurtz, pastor of the Lutheran congregation, at Tul- 
pehocken, in writing to the P.ev. Muhlenberg, pastor of the 
Lutheran congregation at New Providence, under date of 
July 5, 1757, says: Diesen Morgen, wurden sieben erniordete 
und gescalpte, nemlich drey Maenner and vier Kinder, zur 
Eeerdigung auf unsern Kirchhof gebracht, so gestern bey 
Sonnen Untergang, fuenf Meilen von hier von den Indianern 
BJDgebracht worden, und alle in einem Hause ! 



344 HISTORY OP 

"The frontiers of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Vir- 
ginia, were overrun by scalping parties, marking their 
way with blood and devastation.'^* 

"The upper part of Cumberland was overrun by the 
savages, in 1763, who set fire to houses, barns, corn, hay 
and every thing that was combustible; the inhabitants were 
surprised and murdered with the utmost cruelty and bar- 
barity. Those who could, escaped — some to Shippens- 
burg, others to Carlisle, where houses and stables were 
crowded with refugees. Many of them sought shelter 
(in Lancaster county) in the woods, with their families, 
and with their cattle.t Some staid with their relatives, 

*April 2d, 1758, two men were killed near Shippensburg. — 
Apsil 5, one man killed and ten taken, near Black's Gap, on the 
South mountain. April 13, one man killed and nine taken near 
Archibald Bard's South mountain. May 21, one man andiire 
women taken from Yellow Breeches creek. May 23, Joseph 
Gallady killed, bis wife and one child taken from Conoco- 
cheague. May 20, 1759, one Dunwiddie and Crawford shot by 
two Indians, in Carrol's tract, York county. July 20, a boy was 
plowing at Swatara, was shot by two Indians, one horse kilUd, 
and the other wounded. — Loudon^s Narrative. 

Note. — It v/as apprehended that the Indians of Conestoga 
were becoming restless. In May, 1758, intelligence was re- 
ceived at Philadelphia that the Indians at Conestoga designed 
to move oft- to the woods — a message w?.s sent them — May 3, 
some of the Indians arrived, at Philadelphia, from Conestoga 
— they stated, in conference, that they did not intend leaving 
Conestoga, though some had gone to Susquehanna. They 
had thought of going to Susquehanna to hunt and tiade. — 
Will Sock, Chazrea and others of them, gave Conrad Weiser 
!he news of Indian incursions. — Haz. Reg. F. 272. 

fin July, 1783, the reapers of Lancaster county took their 
guns and ammunition with them into the harvest lields to do- 
fend themselves from the Indians." — Lan. Intell. 4* Jour. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 345 

and never returned to the place from which they had 
fled.* 

" After the first panic had passed away, the refugee 
settlers associated themselves together, and under the 
care of divisions of the regular troops and militia, 
succeeded in collecting and saving the remnant of their 
crops.'' 

In the latter end of August, a party of volunteers 
from Lancaster county, one hundred and ten in number, 
intercepted at Mnncy hill, a number of Indians, pro- 
ceeding from Great Island, in the Susquehanna, to the 
frontier settlements. In several skirmishes with the 
Indians, the Lancasterians killed twelve of them — four 
of their own men were killed, and a like number 
wounded. 

After General Forbes had taken possession of Fort 
Da Quesne, November 25, 1758, and garrisoned it by 
men, chiefly provincial troops, from Pennsylvania, Mary- 

*The following we copied at the Donegal church: "In mem- 
ory of William McDowell, late of Conecaeheaguc, who was a 
tender parent and careful instructor, and an example of piety 
to a numerous progeny. When the settlement was obliged tj 
fly by the barbarous Indian war, he deceased in these parts. — 
So was interred here September 12, 1750, aged 77." 

Note. — Extracts from letters to James Hamilton, Esq. dated 
Carlisle, July 3d and 5th, 1763, signed Henry Buquct : 

If the measures I had the honor to recommend to you in my 
letter of yesterday, are not immediately put into execution, I 
foresee the rnin of the posts of the province on this side of the 
Susquehanna; and as York county would be covered by 
Cumberland, I think they ought to assist in building the post, 
and sowing the harvest. It would not be the less necessary 
to send arms and ammunition to be distributed among the in- 
habitants for the protection of the reapers. 

May, 5. The road was nearly covered with women and chil- 
dren flying to Lancaster and Philadelphia. 



346 HISTOHY OF 

land and Virginia, under the command of Colonel 
Mercer, many of the other soldiers were marched inta 
the interior, and quartered at Lancaster, Reading and Phi- 
ladelphia, the soldiers were quartered or billetted am.ong 
the inhabitants, who complained grievously of the 
men, and the caprice, favor and oppression, of the 
officers. The assembly, having remonstrated in vain on 
these enormities, directed a barracks to be erected, 
1759, in the town of Lancaster, to contain 500 men. — 
Mr. Bausman was appointed Barrack master.* 

The influence of war is ever pernicious to the morals 
of society — the train of evils consequent upon war are 
baleful. Lancaster county felt its effects, not only in the 
shape of burdens and taxest upon the industrious por- 
tion of its inhabitants. The true condition of the state 
of morals, and the fruits of war, may be learnt from a 
petition presented to the Assembly, in 1763, praying the 
Legislature for the passage of an Act for erecting a 
House of Correction. The preamble to the Act, recites 
part of the petition : 

Whereas, It hath been represented to this House, by 
petitioners from a considerable number of inhabitants of 
the borough and county of Lancaster, that they now, 
and for a long time, have suffered most grievously, as 
well by unruly, disobedient servants, as by idle strolling 
vagrants from divers parts, who have taken shelter hi 
the county and borough; that drunkenness,, profane 
swearing, breach of the Sabbath, tumults, and other 
vices, so much prevail, that it is not in the power of the 

•Gordon; Ilaz. Reg. 

f The tax assessed in Lancaster county in 1760, amounted to 
upwards of sixteen thousand dollars. The land estimated in the 
county to be 436,346 acres. Taxables 5,635, £l. 2s. to each 
taxable ; amounted to £6,178 10s. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 347 

magistrates to suppress them, and preserve peace and 
good order, having no house of correction for the punish- 
ment of such offenders. A law was passed — a house of 
correction, or work house, erected. "This was the 
ivork house in which the Indians were ^ despatched ' by 
the Paxton Rangers^ Tuesday, the 27th of December, 
1763. 

For several successive winters, and especially in the 
year 1763, the frost was severe upon the winter and 
summer grain, in the low lands and limestone soil. — 
This circumstance, and the heavy timber, induced many 
of the Irish to seat themselves, in 1763, along the 
northern line of the counties of Chester and Lancaster, 
w^ell known at an early period by the name of Chestnut 
Glade. The Germans purchased their little improve- 
ments, and were not intimidated either by the dilhcLilty 
of clearing their lano.s, the scarcity of water, and the 
liability of frost which, at this period, was experienced 
every month of the year.* 

About the year 1760 or 61, Mr. Steigel, who managed 
the Elizabeth iron worlrs for many years, when they 
were owned by Benezet &Co. of Philadelphia, connnenced 
his singular career, n.2 v/as well known as the eccentric 
German Baron, or Yv ilhelm Heinrich Steigel, proprietor 
of Manheim. Having purchased two hundred a-cres of 
land from the Messrs. Stedmans of Philadelphia, he 
erected a grand chateau, (castle) very singular in its 
structurCjt and afterwards laid out a town, to which he 

"Haz. Hcg. V. 12. 

f This hous3 is no'.v occupied by Mr. John Arndt, merchant, 
who, we state it with rog.-3t, in improving the house, made such 
alterations that the ori^hial of the internal arrangement is so 
materially altered as to leave neither the Baron's pulpit, from 
which, in a large upper saloon, he, in the capacity of a preacher, 



848 nisToRY OF 

gave the name of his place of nativity — Manheim.— 
This town was laid out in 1761, and in 1762, contained 
three houses. One of his countrymen, Mr. Andrew 
Bartruff, father of Colonel John Bartruff, erected the 
tliirJ house in the town — he kept the first grocery.* 

To give encouragement to the inhabitants of the place, 
and to advance his own interest, as proprietor, the Baron 
erected a glass house, wliere the manufacture of the 
article of glass, in all its varieties, was successfully carried 
on for some years, by Steigel him^self, and afterwards by 
a Mr. Jenkins. Nothing remains of the glass house. — 
The place where it stood is still pointed out, to the enquir- 
ing visitants, by the attentive and courteous inhabitants 
of Manheim. 

In 1761, William Adams laid out Adamstown. First 
holders of lots were Bicher, Eichholtz, Fansler, Negle, 
Kearn, Richards, Brendle, Steffs, Flickinger, Schlough, 
Reager and others. 

addressed his hands employed at the glass factory ; nor are 
other fixtures any longer visible. What remains of the inter- 
nal, has not its like, in the United States. Its rich scenery 
painting of falconry on the sides of the room walls — the tab- 
lets of china, curiously painted and fastened on the jambs, at- 
tract and cxciie the admiration of all who have the pleasure of 
spending a few moments with the hospitable and affable o>vner 
of the hoL:-:e. 

The Baron was, as well as his fortune, singular. His 
vicissitudes in life were varied. He v/as Baron in Europe — an 
iron master, glass manufacturer, a preacher, a teacher — rich 
and poor, in America. He died a schoolmaster. At liberty; 
and imprisoned. A special act was passed forhis relief, De- 
cember 24, 1774. So gehts dem Mensch. 

*Among the first settlers of the place were, besides those 
already mentioned, the Naumans, Minnichs, Y/herlys, Ivaisers, 
Longs, Hentzelmans, v/ho kept the first tavern. About the 
town were the Lightnors, Heist?, ilershys, Ilostettors, Lohmans, 
Loiigeneckers, Brandt-., Wiirior.s TIcUars and others. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 349 

Notes. — In 1757 Elizabeth township was erected — then 
bounded: beginning at the land of Joseph Cratser, bounding 
upon Heidleberg, thence by the same to Cocalico township, 
thence by Cocalico to Warvvick, thence by the same to the 
place of beginning. 

January 10th, 1759, Christian Frederick Post arrived at the 
town of Lancaster, from his journey to the Indians on Ohio, to 
whom he had gone to deliver a message from Governor Denny. 
Post had started from Easton, for Ohio, Oct. 25, 1758. 

July 13th, 1760, Conrad Weiser, the Indian agent, died in 
Heidleberg township, Berks county. 

1760, Emauuel Carpenter was appointed Presiding justice of 
the Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster county. He filled 
this office until 1780, the time of his death. "He lived beloved 
and died lamented by all. He was in every sense an honest 
man ; always just, liberal aud tolerant. He was an arbiter in 
all matters of dispute among his neighbors; and from his deci- 
sions they never appealed, such was the confidence of his 
integrity." 

He left a numerous connection of relatives and friends. His 
remains rest in Zimmerman's grave yard, near Earlville, at 
whose side rest those of his consort, Catharine Line, who died 
1785. Their lineal descendants are many, and are to be found 
in the names of the Carpenters, Groffs, Ferrees, Rcigarts, 
M'Clcerys and others. 

" In 17G1, the inhabitants of Tulpchockcn and Heidleberg 
townships, raised 150 men as rangers, to guard the county lines 
of Berks and Lancaster." 

1762, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, two able and inge- 
nious mathematicians, after their return from Good Hope Cape, 
were employed to run the line so long the subject of angry con- 
troversy. The business was accordingly performed agreeably 
to directions, and stone pillars erected to exhibit clearly, and 
fix with certainty the long disputed boundary. 

Maytown was laid out May Lst, 1762, by Mr. Doner. To cele- 
brate the day of laying out Maytown, a fair, "a gathering of 
loose heels,'' was held, and dancing performed in its best style, 
in the middle of the main street in the " houseless town." It 
is to be regretted that the dance could not have been performed 

30 



350 HISTORY Of 

in the absence of human beings, as well as in the abs6ii<5e of 
houses. 

" An Indian conference was held, August 9, 1762, and a treaty- 
made at Lancaster, which restored, for a short period, the tran- 
quility of the inhabitants." 

Members of Assemhhj from Lancaster couniy, 1761 and 1762— 
Emanuel Carpenter, James Wright, James Webb, John Doug- 
lass. 1763, Isaac Saunders and those before named, except 
James Webb. 1764, James Webb, and those of 1763 except- 
John Douglass. 



CHAPTER VII. 



Tendency of war — Hostilities continued — liancaster county exposed ta 
Indian incursions, &.c. — Treachery of the Conestoga Indians — Pax ton 
and Donegal Rangers watch the Indians closely-— The Paxton Boys 
surprize the Indians at Conestoga— Indian -villagers massacred — Those 
abroad taken under protection by the magistrates of liancaster— Governor 
Penn's proclamation — The Paxton Boys at Lancaster; massacre the In- 
dians — Governor Pcnn issues another proclamation— The Paxton Boys 
grow desperate, and " bhow up some Indian"— Resort to Philadelphia — 
Their no'i-comracntlable conduct there — They teturn peaceably to their 
homes, leaving two of their number to represent their grievances to th« 
Assembly. 

In war, and in the midst of the calamities of war, the 
ordinary sympathies of our nature seem to forsake man. 
In the savage, war whets the destructive propensities, 
and his thirst to slied blood increases in ardency as the 
number of his victims swells. Total extirpation only cir- 
cumscribes liis splicrc of slaughter; hence, the indis- 
criminate murders of the innocent and the guilty, by the 
savago. War makes demi-savages of the civilized, and 
the dLini-s'.'Vage, thougii he former/?/ felt his whole soul 
thrilled at heariiig of, or seeing, the murder of one singla 
individual, in turn, when inured to the miseries of war, 
can lictc'^ t j the report of countless murders as an amusing 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 351 

talo, and be prepared to resent to the utmost every 
wrong ; avenge himself m the destruction of those whom 
he believes to be aggressors, or mere abettors. Of this, 
we have a striking case in the "cruelties reciprocally 
committed " among the whites and Indians upon each 
other, during the bloody times of the middle of the last 
century. Hostilities were kept up by the Indians, and 
barbarities committed, calculated to excite the calmest 
to revenge the wrongs which the inhabitants of Lan- 
caster and the adjacent counties, suffered at the hands of 
hostile Indians, from 1754 to 1765.-^ Those whose path 
was marked, wherever they went among the whites, 
"with cruelty and murder," were called hostile Indians^ 
to distinguish them from the peaceable ones, residing at 
Conestogi, Nain and Wichetung. 

The inhabitants of Lancaster county, (especially those 
in Paxton and Donegal townships, being most exposed to 
the merciless Indians) reflacting upon the past, and the 
present with them; "(hat the bloody barbarians had 
exercised on their fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, wives 
and children, and relatives, the most unnatural and 
leisurely tortures ; butchered others in their beds, at their 
meals, or in some unguarded hour. Recalling to their 
minds, sights of horror, scenes of slaughter; seeing 
scalps clotted with gore ! mangled limbs ! women ripped 

*" 1763. Two letters were received froiii Jonas Seely, Esq. 
from Berks county, dated, lOih and llth September, 1763. 

"We are all in a state of alarm. Indians have destroyed 
dwellings, and murdered with savage barbarity their helpless 
inmates ; even in the neighborhood of Reading. AViiere these 
Indians come from, and where going we know not. These 
are dangerous times. Send us an armed force to aid our Ran- 
gers of Berks and Lancaster." 

"Those letters were laid before the Assembly, September 
16, 1763." — Lancaster Intelligencer k Journal. 



352 HISTORY OF 

up ! the heart and bowels still palpitating with life, and 
smoking on the ground ! See savages swilling their 
blood, and imbibing a more courageous fury with the 
human draught. They reasoned thus : These are not 
men ; they are not beasts of prey ; they are something 
worse ; they must be " infernal furies in human shape.^^ 
Are we, asked they, tamely to look on and suffer them 
to exercise these hellish barbarities upon our children and 
wives ! our brethren and fellow citizens ! Shall these 
savages — even those whom we suspect as accessories — 
shall they escape ? 

Who could, with all the influences of a continued war 
upon him, and under such circumstances, let escape one 
Indian, and if only strongly suspected of treachery, 
however specious his conduct, in the hght of day? 
These, we conceive, were the feelings that incited the 
whites to acts of cruelty ; as we would vieiv them note. 

That some of the Conestoga Indians were treach- 
erous, appears abundantly, from the facts set forth in the 
following affidavits: 

"Abraham Newcomer, a Mennonite ; by trade a gun- 
smith, upon his aflirmation, declared that several times, 
within these few years, Bill Soc and Indian John, two of 
of the Conestogoe Indians, threatened to scalp him for 
refusing to mend their tomahawks, and swore they 
would as soon scalp him, as they would a dog. A few 
days before Bill Soc was killed, he brought a tomahawk 
to be steeled. Bill said, " if you will not, Pil have it 
mended to your sorrow," from which expression, "I 
apprehended danger.'^ 

" Mrs. Thompson, of the borough of Lancaster, per- 
sonally appeared before the Chief Justice Burgess, and 
upon his solemn oath, on the Holy Evangelists, said that 
iu the summer of 1761, Bill Soc come to her apartment, 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 353 

and threatened her life, raying, ' I kill you, all Lancaster 
can't catch me,' which filled me with terror :' and this 
lady further said, 'Bill Soc added, 'Lancaster is mine, 
and I will have it yet.' " 

"Colonel John Hambright, gentleman, an eminent 
brewer of the borough of Lancaster, personally appeared 
before Robert Thompson, Esq., a justice for the county 
of Lancaster, and made oath on the Holy Evangelists, 
that in August, 1757, he, an officer, was sent for provi- 
sion from Fojt Auguiita to Foit Hunter, that on his way 
he rested at McKee's old place; a sentinel was sta- 
tioned behind a tree to prevent surprise. The sentry 
gave notice, Indians were near; the deponent crawled 
up the bank and discovered two Indians, one was Bill 
Soc, lately killed at Lancaster. He called Bill Soc to 
come to him, but the Indians ran off. When the depo- 
nent came to Fort Hunter, he learnt that an old man had 
been killed before; Bill Soc and his companions were 
believed to be the perpetrators of tlie murder. He, the 
deponent, had frequcntjy seen Bill Soc and some of the 
Conestogoe Indians at Fort Augusta, trading with the 
Indians, but, after the murder of the old man, Bill Soc 
did net appear at that garrison." 

John Hambright. 

Sworn and subscribed the 28th of February, 1764, 
before mo, Robert Thompson, Justice. 

" Alexander Stephen, of the county of Lancaster, per- 
sonally appeared before Thomas Foster, Esq., one of the 
magistrates, and being duly qualified according to law, 
doth say, that Cannayak Sally, an Indian woman, told hiin- 
that the Conestogoe Indians had killed Jegrea, an Indian, 
because he would not join the Conestogoe Indiaus ia 
destroying the English. James Cotter told the deponent 
that he v/as one of the three that killed William 

30* 



354 HISTORY OP 

Hamilton, on Sherman's creek, and also another man, 
with seven of his family. James Cotter demanded of 
the deponent a canoe which the murderers had left, as 
Cotter told him when the mm'der was committed. 

Alexander Stephen.'' 
Thomas Foster, Justice. 

" Anne Mary Le Roy, of Lancaster, appeared before 
the Chief Bm'gess, and being sworn on the Holy Evan- 
gelists of Almighty God, did depose and say, that in the 
year 1755, when her father John Jacob Le Roy, and 
many others, Avere murdered by the Lidians, at Ma- 
honey, she, her brother, and some others, were made 
prisoners, and taken to Kittaning; that strange Indians 
visited them; the French told them they were Cones- 
togoe Indians, and that Isaac was the only Indian true to 
their interest ; and that the Conestogoe Indians, with the 
exception of Isaac, were ready to lift the hatchet when 
ordered by the French. She asked Bill Soc's mother 
whetlicr she had ever been at Kittaning ? She said ' no, 
but her son Bill Soc had been there often ; that he was 
good for nothing. '^ Mary Le Roy." 

From these depositions, the reader may decide whether 
suspicion was well founded or not. " Bill Soc's own 
mother declared he was good for nothing." 

The friendly Indians, it was fully believed by the 
Paxtonians, connived at, if not indirectly stimulated the 
hostile ones, in their relentless attacks upon the frontier 
settlers in 17G3. The grounds for this suspicion were 
sufficiently founded, in the opinion of the eagle-eyed 
Paxton and Donegal Rangers, to watch with a " keen 
eye" the movements of both parties, friendly and 
hostile Indians. In September, the Indians eluded their 
close, searching pursuit. The Paxton Boys, and their 

'Lancaster Intelligencer & Journal. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 355 

neighbors, having asked in vain* for protection from 
Government, were bent upon making an assault that 
would infuse terror into all called Indian ; if not put a 
stop to Bill and George Soc's going abroad, and their 
dances at Conestos^a.t 

And the conviction having become general, aroused 
feelings, which war naturally engenders, in the bosoms 
of the citizens, in the Paxton and Donegal inhabitants, to 
extirpate the Conestogoes, the remains of a tribe of the 

♦Indians had been traced by scouts to the wigwams at Con- 
estoga. Suspicion was awakened, the questions, " Are these 
christian Indians treacherous ] Arc their wigwams the harbors- 
of our deadly foe] Do they conceal the nightly prowling 
assassin of the forest f These and the like surmises were en- 
tertained by the people. The rangers were active in endeav- 
oring to discover the perpetrators of those acts of violence. — 
The people declared openly they no longer confided in the 
professions of the governor; numbers of volunteers joined the 
rangers of Northampton, Berks, Lancaster, and Cumberland, 
who were engaged in tracing the midnight assassins. Such 
was the state of irritable feeling of these frontier counties, yet 
government was supine.'* 

•\Jacoh Bachman, Esq. of West Strasburg, says, he frequently 
heard his mother relate, that when she was a girl of sixteen 
Soc frequented their house ; but she never liked his counte- 
nance — guilt played upon it. She also related, that a few days 
previous to the fatal day of the Conestogoes, one of their old 
women came , to their house, and enquired, " Have you heard 
the bad news ;" when interrogated what bad news, she evasive- 
ly replied " the snow, the snow." It was then remarked by 
Mr. Rohrer, the father of Mrs. Bachman, "I guess. Bill and 
George have been again doing mischief; they will be caught 
sometime or other." 

In company with Dr. J. K. Neff, we called on Mr. John 
Newcomer, August 10th, 1843, who told us, he distinctly remem- 
bers Bill Soc, coming to his father's house seUing baskets, 
brooms and wooden ladles. 



350 HISTORY OP 

Six Nations/^ who occupied a spot of ]ynd in Manor 
townsliip. 

Oil Wcdncsd.'iy, llic lltli of December, 1703, at day 
break, " a iiuinlx;)- of armed mounted men, principally 
from Donci^^al and Paxton townships, attacked the 
Ij)dian vill;ij-^e, ;:nd barbarously njassacrcd some women 
and cliildici), :ind ;i few old njcn ; jiiuonpsl tlie hiller, the 
chi(.-f, Shali(,'as, who had" always been distininiishcd for 
his fri(;ndshij) towards the whites. The majority of the 
Indian villagers were abroad at the time of the attack."! 
After slaying those at home, their huts were set on fire, 
and most of them burned down.t "The magistrates of 
Lancaster sent out to collcr^t the surviving ones, brought 
them into town, for their better security against any 
further attempt ; and it is said condoled with them on the 
misfortune that had iiappened, took them by the hand, 
and }4'omised th(;m jirotrction. They were ])iit in the 

*J\. C. a writer in the Intelligencer k Jonrnul says: "The 
Indians at Cunestogo, at Itio lime of its dcbtruciion consisted 
of kSenecas, Mingcjos, Pcqucas, 6<:c. The Mingoes were not 
of the five nations ; they belonged to a distant tribe of tiiat 
lianic." 

fCordon'sPa. 405. 

I One (jf these liuts or cabins still exists. It is occupied as a 
kitchen by Isaac Kuhn — it is built of round logs. The writer 
had been in this cabin, December?, 1812. 

Nr)TE, — In a pamphlet ascribed to B. Fran'klin, written in 
17G4, we find the following names of Indians, who resided at 
('oncstoga: Shehaes, a very old man ; Peggy, his daughter; 
John, an old man; Harry; George and Bill Soc, brothers, 
both young men ; Betty a harmless old woman, and her son 
Peter, a likely young lad ; John Smith, who had married Sally, 
whose Indian name wa;3 Wyanjoy. — >^^)ark's Franklin^ IV ^ 
r>l-57. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 357 

recently erected workhouse, a strong building, as the place 
of greatest safety." 

When the news of this unkind treatment of the Indians 
by the Paxtonians reached Philadelphia, the Governor 
issued the following proclamation : 

Whereas, I have received information, that on Wed- 
nesday the 14th of this month, a number of people well 
armed and mounted on horseback, unlawfully assembled 
together, and went to the Indiantown in the Conestoga 
manor, in Lancaster county, and without the least reason 
of provocation, in cold blood, barbarously killed six of the 
Indians settled there, and burnt and destroyed all their 
houses and effects ; and whereas so cruel and inhuman 
an act, committed in the heart of this province on the said 
Indians, who have lived peaceably and inoffensively 
among us during all our late troubles, and for many years 
before, and were justly considered as under the protection 
of this government and its laws, calls loudly for the vigor- 
ous exertion of the civil authority, to detect the offenders 
and bring them to condign punishment ; I have, therefore, 
by and with the advice and consent of the council, thought 
iit to issue this proclamation, and do hereby strictly charge 
and enjoin all judges, justices, sheriffs, constables, officers, 
civil and military, and aU other his Majesty's liege subjects 
within this province, to make diligent search and inquiry 
after the authors and perpetrators of the said crime, their 
abettors and accomplices, and use all possible means to 
apprehend aiid to secure them in some of the public jails 
of this province, that they may be brought to their trials, 
and be proceeded against according to law. 

And whereas a number of other Indians, who lately 
lived on or near the frontiers of this province, being 
willing and desirous to preserve and continue the ancient 
friendship which heretofore subsisted between them and 



358 HISTORY OF 

the good people of this province, have, at their own 
earnest request, been removed from their habitations and 
brought into the county of Philadelphia, where provision 
is made for them at the public expense ; I do, therefore, 
hereby strictly forbid all persons whatsoever, to molest or 
injure any of the said Indians, as they will answer the 
contrary at their peril. 

Given under my hand and the great seal of tlie said 
province, at Philadelphia, A. D. 1763, Dec. 22cl, and in 
the 4th year of his Majesty's reign. 

By his honor's command. John Penn. 

Joseph Shippen, Jr., Sec'y. 

" God save the King.^' 

Notvv^ithstanding the governor's interposition, the 
people were too much exasperated to have their fury 
allayed by a proclamation from a supine governor. 
" They assembled,^ says Gordon, in great numbers, forced 
the prison, and butchered all the Txiiscrable wretches they 
found within the walls. Unarmed and unprotected, the 
Indians prostrated themselves with their children before 
their murderers, protesting their innocence and their love 
to the English, and in this posture they all received the 
hatchet." 

The following letter by William Henry, Esq. of Lan- 
caster, to a gentleman of Philadelphia, may enable the 
reader to form some idea of the treatment the Indians 
received at the hands of the " Pcfxton Boys.^^ 

"There are few, if any murders to be compared with 
the cruel murder committed on the Conestogo Indians in 
the jail of Lancaster, in 1763, by tlic Paxton boys, as 
they were then called. From fifteen to twenty Indians, 
as report stated, were placed there for protection. A 

♦Tuesday, the 27th Dec 17G3, 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 359 

regiment of Highlanders* were at that timo quartered at 
the barracks in the town, and yet these murderers were 
permitted to break open the doors of the city jail and 
committed the horrid deed. The first notice I iiad of 
this affair was, that while at my father's store, near the 
court house, I saw a number of people rumiing down 
street towards the jail, which enticed me and other lads 
to folio \vt them. vVt about six or eight yards from the 
jail, we met from twenty-five to thirty men, well mounted 
on horses, and with rifles, tomahawks, and scalping 
knives, equipped for murder. I ran into the prison yard, 
and there, oh what a horrid sight presented itself to my 
view ! Near the back door of the prison lay an old 
Indian and his squaw, particularly well knov/n and 
esteemed by the people of the town oi. account of his 
placid and friendly conduct. His name was Will Soc; 
across him and squaw lay two children, of about the age 
of three years, whose heads were split with the toma- 
hawk, and their scalps taken off. Towards the middle 
of the jail yard, along the west side of the wall, lay a 
stout Indian, whom I particularly noticed to have been 
shot in his breast ; his legs were chopped with the toma- 
hawk, his hands cut off, and finally a rifle ball discharged 
in his moutli, so that his head was blov/n to atoms, and 
the brains were splashed against and yet hanging to the 
wall, for three or four feet around. This man's hands 
and feet had also been chopped off with a tomahawk. — 

♦Captain Robinson's company, on their way from Pittsburg. 

f Of the lads present then ; a few as old men arc slill living. 
We spent a few pleasant hours with each, lately. They 
arc Mr. David Dieffenderfer, at New Holland, and Mr. Peter 
Maurer, near the city of Lancaster, now in his eighty -seventh 
year". Both enjoy remarkable health — both had been in the 
service of their country, during the war '76. 



360 . HISTORY OF 

In this manner lay the whole of them, men, wamen and 
children, spread about the prison yard ; shot — scalped — 
hacked and cut to pieces.'^ 

The bodies of slain were then buried in the borough 
of Lancaster, where the bones of the Indians rested 
undistiu'bed till the month of ]May, 1S33, when the 
workmen employed in excavating for the rail road, dug 
up the bones. '^ 

The Governor issued a second proclam.ation, and offered 
a reward for the discovery of the perpetrators, but 
without effect. 

Proclamation. 
" Wherees, on the 22d Dec. last, I issued a proclama- 
tion for the apprehending and bringing to justice a 
number of persons, who, in violation of the public faith, 
and in defiance of all law, had inhumanly killed 6 Indians, 
who had lived in Conestoga manor, for the course of 
many years, peaceably and inoffensively, under the pro- 
tection of this government, on lands assigned tliem for 

*Peter IMaiirer informed us that he saw the bodies of the 
Indians buried in one hole, at the place where the bones in 
1833, were dug up, at the corner of Chesnut and Duke streets. 

Note. — From a letter of the Rev. Elder to Col. Burd, it 
appears, if the statement be correct, that the Paxton boys did 
not cut the bodies of the Indians to pieces; but it was done by 
others. Elder says, "The inference is plain, that the bodies 
were thus mangled after death by certain persons, to excite a 
feehng against the Paxton boys. This fact, Stewart says he 
can and will establish in a fair trial at Lancaster York, and 
Carlisle!" 

Note. — Fehx Donnelly was keeper of the mor'k house at the 
time the Paxton boys forced in the door, iSrc. Donnally was 
appointed keeper, at the November session 1763; in May 1765, 
Mathias Booch of the borough of Lancaster, was appointed, in 
his place. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. S61 

tlieir habitation; notwithstanding which, I have received 
mformation, that on the 27th of the same month, a large 
party of armed men again assembled and met together in 
a riotous and tunmltuous manner, in the county of Lan- 
caster, where they violently broke open the workhouse, 
and butchered and put to death 14 of the said Conestoga 
Indians, men, women and children, who had been taken 
und-er the immediate care of the magistrates of said 
county, and lodged for their better security in the said 
workhouse, till they should be more effectually provided 
for by order of the government; and whom common 
justice loudly demands, and the laws of the land (upon 
the prosecution of which not only the liberty and security 
of every individual, but the being of government itself 
depends,) require, that the above offenders should be 
brought to" condign punishment; I have, therefore, by 
and with the advice of the council, published this procla- 
mation, and do hereby strictly charge and command all 
judges, justices, sheriffs, constables, officers civil and mili- 
tary, and all others his Majesty's faithful liege subjects 
within this province, to make diligent search and inquiry 
after the authors and perpetrators of the said last men- 
tioned offenders, their abettors and accomplices,, and that 
they use all possible means to apprehend and secure them 
in some of the public jails of this province, to be dealt 
with according to law. 

And I do hereby further promise and engage, that am'" 
person or persons, who shall apprehend and secure, or 
or cause to be apprehended or secured, any three of the 
ringleaders of the said party, and prosecute tiiem to con- 
viction, shall have and receive for each the public reward 
of '^200; and any accomplice, not concerned in the imme- 
diate shedding the blood of said Indians, who shall make 
discovery of any or either of the said ringleaders, and 

31 



362 aiSTORY OF 

apprehend and prosecute them to conviction, shall oVef 
and ahove the said reward, have all the weight and influ- 
ence of the government, for ohtaining his Majesty's 
pardon for his offence. 

Given under my hand and the great seal of the pro* 
vince, at Philadelphia, January 2, in the 4th year of his 
Majesty's reign, A. D. 1764. 

By his command. John Penn. 

Joseph Shippen, Jr., Sec'y. 

" God save the King,^'' 

The Paxton Boys had become desperate, and in turn 
^'' showed up some Indian^^^ as is manifest from their 
conduct in destroying the Indians at Lancaster. 

*David Rittenhouse, in a letter to a friend, speaking of the 
Paxton Boys in Philadelphia, on this occason, says : "About 
fifty of the scoundrels marched by my work-shop. I have 
seen hundreds of Indians travelling the country, and can with 
truth affirm, that the behavior of these fellows was ten times 
more savage and brutal than theirs. Frightening women, by 
running the muzzles of their guns through windows, swearing 
and hallooing ; attacking men without the least provocation ; 
dragging them by the hair to the ground, and pretending to 
scalp them ; shooting a number of dogs and fowls ; these are 
some of their exploits," — Rittenliouse's Mem. p. 148. --"- 

In another letter, Mr. Barton says : " I received a letter from 
sister E. soon after the alaim at Philadelphia was over, and 
will give, &c. &c. 

" On Monday morning, between one and two o'clock, an 
express came to the Governor, informing that the rebels were 
on their way, and that a great number of them were on this 
side the White Horse. There was one express after another, 
till there was certain intelligence that some of them Vvcre at 
Germantown. When the first express came, the bells were 
rung, the drums beat, and the constables were ordered to go 
from house to house, to knock up the inhabitants, and bid them 
put candles at their doors : it had the appearance of all the 
houocs being illuminated. Before day, there was about 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 363 

' The Moravian Indians were placed for safety in the 
barracks at Philadelphia, and no sooner had this intelli'. 
gence been received in Lancaster, than a large nnmber 
assembled and marched to Philadelphia. They produced 
considerable alarm in the city. " The Governor fled 
to the house of Dr. Franklin for safety ; and nothing but 

twenty men met at T. T's, and chose their officers. Before 
night they were increased to nearly an hundred ; as were like^ 

wise most of the other companies. E and all our men 

were in captain AVood's company. They all appeared to be 
in high spirits, and desirous to meet the rebels. On Tuesday, 
when the Mayor and other gentlemen set off for Germantown, 
the heads of companies begged of them not to comply with 
any dishonorable terms, and told them : " Gentlemen, we are 
ready to go wherever you may command us ; and we had much 
rather you would let us treat with them, with our guns." On 
their return, there was a general murmur among the compa- 
nies against the proceedings of our great men ; they knew it, 
and there was a long harangue made by Mr. Chew ; but it did 

not answer the end. On Wednesday morning I went to , 

as usual, and on my return home, I stopped at our friend H. 
T's, when, on a sudden an alarm gun was fired, the bells began 
to ring, and the men called " to arms,^^ as loud as possible. I 
cannot describe, my dear brother, how I felt : we ran to the 

door, when, to add to my fright I saw E , amidst hundreds 

of others, run by with his gun. They met at the court house, 
formed themselves into regular companies, and marched up 
Second street as far as the barracks ; where they found it was 
a false alarm. 

" It was a pleasing, though melancholy sight, to view the 
activity of our men. In less than a quarter of an hour, they 
were all on their march — it is supposed above a thousand of 
them; and by all accounts, there were not ten — r-^ among 
them. It was the very common cry, while our men were 

parading— "What! not one among usl! Instead of 

joining with others, they would sneak into corners and applaud 
the " Paxton Boys." Their behavior pft this occasion be^a 
^lade then) blacker than ever," 



364 HISTORY OP 

the spirited measures of the inhabitants of the city, saved 
it from the fury of an exasperated multitude, who would 
not have hesitated to extend vengeance from the Indians 
to their protectors." 

After some consuUation among themselves, on salu- 
tary advice given, they concluded to peaceably return to 
their homes, leaving Matthew Smith and James Gibson, 
two of their number, to represent their views to govern- 
ment.'-* They laid their grievances before the Governor 
and the Assembly, by a memorial in behalf of Lancaster, 
York, Cumberland, Berks, and Northampton, complain- 
ing that these counties were irregularly represented in the 
Assembly, sending collectively ten members only, whilst 
tlie three counties of Philadelphia, Chester, and Bucks, 
sent twenty-six ; that a bill had passed the Assembly, 
directing the trial of persons charged with the murder of 
an Indian in Lancaster county, to be had in some of the 
latter counties ; that whilst more than a thousand 
families, reduced to extreme distress, during the past and 
present war, by the attacks of skulking parties of 
Indians upon the frontiers, were destitute, and were suf- 
fered by the public to depend on private charity, one 
hundred and twenty of the j)erpetrators of the most 
horrid barbarities were supported by the province, 
and protected from the fury of the brave relatives of the 
murdered ; that the cruelties of the Indians were exten- 
uated, and efforts improperly made to excite commis- 
eration for them, on the plea that they were not parties 
to the war ; " But, in what nation,'^ said the memorial- 
ists, "was it ever the custom that, when a neighboring 
nation took up arms, not an individual of that nation 
should be touched, but only the persons that oflered 
hostilities ? Wlioever proclaimed war with part of a 
nation, and not with the wliole ? Had these Indians 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 5G5, 

disapproved the perfidy of their tribe, and been willing 
to cultivate and preserve friendship with us, why did 
they not give notice of the war before it happened, as it 
is known to be the result of long deliberation and precon- 
certed combination ? Why did they not leave their tribe 
immediately, and come amongst us, before there was 
cause to suspect them, or war was actually waged ?— 
No, they staid amongst them, were privy to their murders 
and ravages, until we had destroyed their provisions, and 
when they could no longer subsist at home, they came — 
not as deserters, but — as friends, to be maintained through 
the winter, that they might scalp and butcher us in the 
spring."^ 

" The memorialists further remonstrated against the 
policy of suffering any Indians whatever, to live within 
the inhabited parts of the province, whilst it was engaged 
in an Indian war ; experience having taught that they 
were all perfidious, and that their claim to freedom and 
independence enabled them to act as spies, to entertain 
and give intelligence to our enemies, and to furnish them 
with provisions and warlike stores. To this fatal inter- 
course, between pretended friends and open enemies, they 
ascribed the greater part of the ravages and murders diat 
had been committed during the last and present wars. — 
This grievance they prayed might be considered and re^ 
medied. They remonstrated against the neglect, by the 
province, of the frontier inhabitants, who had been 
.wounded in its defence, and required that they should be 
relieved at the public cost. They expostulated against 
the policy of the government, in refraining to grant 
rewards for Indian scalps, " which damped the spirits of 
brave men, who were willing to venture their lives 
against the enemy ;" and they proposed that public 

*Votes of Assembly, and Gordon's Pa. 
31* 



366 HISTORY 01" 

rewards might be granted for their trophies, adequate to 
the danger of procuring them. They lamented that 
numbers of their nearest and dearest relatives were 
retained in captivity among the savage heathen, to be 
trained up in ignorance and barbarity, or be cruelly tor- 
mented to death for attempting their escape : and they 
prayed that no trade might be permitted with the Indians 
until their prisoners were returned.'^ 

The year 1765 is remarkable for the birth of Robert 
Fulton, who was born in Little Britain. He early showed 
peculiar talents, and cultivated tliem abroad, as well as in 
his own country. He is distinguished as an inventor of 
steamboats. In 1803, at the johit expense of himself and 
Robert R. Livingston, chancellor of New York, and 
minister of the United States to the French court, he con- 
structed a boat on the River Seine, by which he fully 
evinced the practicability of propelling boats by steam. — 
On returning to America in 1806, he commenced, in con- 
junction with Mr. Livingston, the construction of the 
first Fuiton boat, which was launched in the spring of 
1807 from a ship yard at New York. There was great 
incredulity among the people on the subject ; but this 
boat demonstrated, on the first experiment, to a numerous 
assemblage of astonished spectators, tiie correctness of 
his expectations, and the value of his invention. The 
same year, he suggested the first idea of joining the 
western lakes and the Atlantic ocean by canal. 

In 1810, the legislature of New York appointed com- 
missioners, Avitli whom Mr. Fulton was joined the next 
session, to explore the route of inland navigation from 
the Hudson river to the lake Ontario and Erie. The 
conmiissioners reported in 1811, 12, 14. Mr. Fulton was 
very estimable in his domestic and social relations ; "but 
what was most conspicuous in his character, was his caliu 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 2G7 

constancy, his industry, and that indefatigable patience 
and perseverance, wliich always enabled him to over- 
come difficulties." A distinguished foreigner, the chevalier 
clc Gessicourt observes, " Steamboats offer such advan- 
tages to commerce, that England, France and America, 
with one accord, proclaim the glory of Fulton." — De- 
laplaine\s Repository, I. p, 201, 223. 

In 17G6, Benjamin S. Barton, professor in the 
University of Pennsylvania, was born at Lancaster, Pa. 
His mother was the sister of the celebrated David Ritten- 
house. In 1786, he, went to Great Britain and pursued 
his medical studies at Edinburg and London. He after- 
wards visited Gottingen, and there obtained the degree of 
Doctor in Medicine. On his return from Europe in 1789, 
he established himself as a physician in Philadelphia, 
and soon obtained an extensive practice. In the same 
year he was appointed professor of natural history and 
botany in the college of Philadelphia. 

On the resignation of Doctor Griffiths, he was appoint- 
ed professor of Materia Medica ; and succeeded Doctor 
Rush in the department of the theory and practice of 
medicine. He died in 1815. His chief publication is 
" Elements of Zoology and Botany." 

1769. This year the Rev. John WoodhuU came to 
Lancaster Borough, as pastor of the Presbyterian church. 
He was their first pastor. They preached occasionally 
in the court house, before WoodhuU came. In 1770 or 
'71, a meeting house was finished. The leading meu 
among the Presbyterians at that time were E. Shippen, 
Esq., Dr. R. Boyd, W. White, HJHalen, C. Hall, S. 
Boyd, W. Montgomery, W. Ross, Judge Yeates, M. San- 
derson, in the town ; W. Davis, T. Davis and John Jacks, 
in the country. 



4r. 




' / 



v-i 



368 HISTORY OP 

From 1769 to 1775, a score and two of lawyers were- 
admitted at the Lancaster Bar. 

In 1769 Thomas Hood, Jacob Moore, Casper Weitzel, 
Jacob Rush, Christian Hook and Thomas Hartly. 1770, 
John Hubley, Abel Evans and Andrew Ross. 1771^ 
James Lukens, David Grear, Ashton Humphries, George 
Noarth and Nathaniel Ramsey. 1772, Edward Burd, 
Francis Johnson, Peter Zachary Lloyd, Charles Stedman 
and Mr. Collinson. 1773, John Stedman and George 
Ross, Jr. 1775, William Barton. 

Members of Assembly from Lancaster county for 1765, 
Emanuel Carpenter, James Wright, James Webb, Jacob 
Carpenter; those of 1765 were re-elected for 1766 and 
1767. 1768, Emanuel Carpenter, James Wright, James 
Webb, George Ross. 1769, Emanuel Carpenter, Jacob 
Carpenter, James Webb, George Ross. 1770, Emanuel 
Carpenter, James Wright, Joseph Ferree, George Ross. 
1771, Emanuel Carpenter, George Ross, Joseph Ferree, 
William Downing. 1772, Joseph Ferree, Jacob Carpen- 
ter, Isaac Whitelock, James Webb. 1773 and 1774, Jo- 
seph Ferree, James Webb, George Ross, Matthias Slough. 

Notes. — In the year 1765, the following named gentlemen 
were admitted, at Lancaster, to practice law : Alexander Wil- 
cocks, Jasper Yeates, Richard Peters, Jr., Andrew Allen, 
James Allen, James Sayre and Henry Ewes. In 1766, Elisha 
Price, George Campbell, practising attorneys from Ireland.,. 
and Williarm Swainey. 



LANCASTER COUNTr.. 3'6^ 



CHAPTER Vlir. 

Hail storm — Proceedings, &c. by the citizens of Lancaster county touching 
the usurpation of Parliament, in Great Britain — Letter from the commit:' 
tee of correspondence at Pliiladelphia — Meeting at the court house ia 
Lancaster — Copy of a circular letter from Philadelphia — Meeting called 
at Lancaster — Subscriptions opened for the relief of the suffering Bosto- 
nians — Letters from Philadelphia — Meeting called to be held at Lancaa* 
ter — Committees appointed — Meeting held— Letter from Reading — 
Meeting of the committee of iuspection, &c.— ^Committee men from differ- 
ent townships meet at Lancaster— 'Their proceedings, &c. &c. 

Nothing of thrilling interest appears in the annals of 
this county from the close of Indian incursions, to the 
time when the indignation of the colonists was generally 
excited by the attempted oppressions on the part of the 
mother country. There are, nevertheless, a few things 
we deem worthy of notice. 

In 1768, in the month of June, Lancaster county was 
visited by a dreadful hail-storm. A writer in the Penr>- 
sylmtnia Chronicle, of June, 1768, says, ^'I now sit 
down,'' in writing to the Editor, "under the shade of a 
friendly oak in the country, in order to give you some 
account of the late dreadful storm here, the effects of 
which, I liave taken pains to examine, having rid several 
miles for that purpose. 

"' On Friday, the 17th inst. about 2 o'clock P. M. the 
sky was overspread with flying clouds, apparently 
charged with heavy rain. The wind blew pretty fresh 
from the south-east, and thickened the clouds in the op- 
posite quarter ; so that about 4 o'clock there was dark- 
ness visible in the north-west attended with distant ruui- 
bling thunder, and now and then with a small gleam af 
lightning, without any explosions. The clouds deepened 



370 HISTORY OP 

more and more in the north-west, and thus seemed ta 
make a stand, bemg opposed by the wind from the 
opposite points. At half-after four, they assumed a 
frightful appearance, and at last a large crescent, with its 
concave sides to the wind, and its inner edges tinged 
with a dusky violet color. About five the wind veered 
about to the north-west, which immediately gave motion 
to the clouds, and discharged a most dreadful and destruc- 
tive volley of hail. The storm then proceeded in a south- 
east direction, at the rate of twelve miles an hour, 
attended with a most dreadful noise, something like the 
sounds of cannon, drums and bells mingled together. — 
The hail stones were of various dimensions, shapes and 
forms. Some measured nine inches in circumfer- 
ence, some seven, whilst others were not larger than 
peas. As to their forms, some were of globular, some 
spheroidical, surrounded Avith small excresences or knobs, 
some eliptical, and some irregular and smooth, like pieces 
of ice. Such as were globular, were endued with so 
much elasticity, that they rebounded from the ground 
like a tennis ball. This storm divided into several 
branches, or veins, if I may use such terms, all which 
kept the same course, but bent their fury mostly towards 
the mountains hills and highlands. 

" At Susquehannah the hail was as large as pigeon's 
eggs ; at Lancaster about the size of peas ; at Dunker- 
town, and in the valley, between the Welsh and Reading 
hills, they were as large as turkey's eggs ; in some other 
places, still larger ; and at Reading no hail appeared. — 
The damage done by this storm is very great; the county 
of Lancaster alone, it is thought, has suffered several 
thousand pounds. In many places there is not a single 
ear of wheat, rye, barley, &c. but what is cut off ; and 
jiothing left but the green st|*aw^ bruised and beat to 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 3/1 

|)ieces. It is melancholy to see fine plant^ltions, and 
extensive fields, which a few days ago waved with luxu- 
riant crops, now lying waste. Many able farmers who 
expected to carry several hundred bushels of grain to 
market, will be obliged to buy bread for their families ; 
and many of the poorer kind will be ruined, and reduced 
to beggary. All these people are mowing their late 
promising and tlch crops, as fodder for their cattle. — 
Their distress is moving and alarming. At Dunkertown 
it is said, with what truth I cannot say, that cattle were 
killed by the hail ; but certain it is, that about Muddy 
creek, in this county, calves, pigs, fowls, &c. were killed 
in that settlement ; the ground in the woods is as thick 
covered with green foliage, beaten from the trees, as it is 
with the fallen leaves in the month of October ; and in 
many places the birds are found dead in w'oods and 
orchards. The north-west side of the fruit trees are 
barked, and all the glass windows on that side, that were 
not secured by shutters, are demolished ; and even the 
rails of the fences, visibly show the impression of hail 
upon them. In short, this storm threw every person 
who saw it, into the most dreadful consternation; for the 
oldest man here never saw or heard any thing like it.'^ 

As early as 1765, the British Parliament passed an act 
that all instruments of writing, such as promissory notes, 
bonds, indentures, &c. were to be null and void, unless 
written on paper or parchment stamped with specific 
duty. This measure was opposed in England and in this 
cx)untry ; and being found unpopular, the act was repeal- 
ed in 1766 ; but another act was passed by ParUament, 
declaring that the British Parliament had a right to make 
laws binding the colonies in all cases whatever ; this act 
was soon followed by another, imposing, in the colonies, 
duties on glass, paper, painters colors, and tea. These 



272 HISTORY OP 

several acts kindled in every patriotic bosom, a strong 
opposition to the measures of the mother country, and 
one circumstance after another led to an open rupture 
between the colonies and the parent country, which hap- 
pened about the year 1773, when the Bostonians threw 
the tea overboard. From that time on, a flame was 
kindled in every breast. Gen. Gage, from Britain, arrived 
at Boston in 1774, with more troops, some having arrived 
before, "to dragoon the Bostonians into compliance." — 
The Bostonians had to suffer much; but their sufferings 
excited the sympathy of others. Associations for their 
relief were formed in nearly all the colonies ; even this 
county was not the last nor least to aid in relieving their 
suffering brethren, as will fully appear from the following 
precious relic, which is deposited in the Prothonotary's 
oflice of Lancaster county ;* 

Copy of a letter from the committee of correspondence 
for the city of Philadelphia, directed to the freeholders 
and other inhabitants of this place, dated about the 12th 
of June, 1774. Runs in the words following to wit: 

Philadelphia, 

Gentlemen : — We beg leave to refer you to the enclosed 
paper for the stops we have taken on the present alarm- 
ing occasion. Tiie Governor declining to call the As- 
sembly, renders it necessary to take the sentiments of 
the Inhabitants ; and for that purpose it is agreed to call 
a Meeting of the Inhabitants of this city and the county 
at the State House, on Wednesday, the 15th instant. — 
And as we would wish to have the sentiments and con- 
currence of our brethren in the several counties, who 
are equally interested with us in the General Cause, we 
earnestly desire you to call together the principal Inhab- 

*An abridgement of this relic would have destroyed the in* 
terest of the whole. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. i573 

itants of your county and take their sentiments. We 
shall forward to you by every occasion, any matters of 
consequence that come to our knowledge, and we should 
be glad you would choose and appoint a Committee to 
Correspond with us. 

Signed by order of the committee of Corres- 
pondence,for the city of Philadelphia. 
Charles Thomps3n, C.erk. 
In pursuance of which, and also of another large letter 
wrote by Mr. Charles Thompson, and sent to the inhabi- 
tants of this borough, directed to the care of Mr. Wil- 
ham Atlee, a meeting was held on the 15th day of June, 
1774. And the following Resolves were agreed on, viz: 
At a meeting of the inhabitants of the borough of Lan- 
caster, at the court house in the said borough, on Wednes- 
day, the 15th day of June, 1774 ; Agreed— that to pre- 
serve the Constitutional rights of the inhabitants of 
America, it is incumbent on every colony, to unit(3 end 
use the most effectual means to procure a r-L-pcal of the 
late act of Parliament against the town of ]3oston. 

That the act of Parliament for blocking up the port 
and harbor of Boston, is an invasion of the rights of the 
inhabitants of the said town, as subjects of the crown of 
Great Britain. That it is the opinion of the inhabitants 
at tills meeting that the proper and effeclu.il means to 
be used to obtain a repeal of the said act, will be to put 
an immediate stop to all imports, and exports, to and 
from Great Britain, u.itil the same act be repealed. 

That the traders and inhabitants of this town will join 
and concur with the patriotic merchants, manufacturers, 
tradesmen, and freeholders, of the city and county of 
Philadelphia, and other parts of this province, in an 
association or solemn agreement to this purpose, if the 
same shall be by them thought necessary. 

32 



374 HISTORY OF 

That Edward Shippen, Esq., George Ross, Esq., Jasper 
Yeates, Esq., Mathias Slough, Esq., James Webb, Esq., 
WiUiam Atlee, Esq., William Henry, Esq., Mr. Liidwfg 
Lamnan, Mr. William Bailsman and Mr. Charles Hall, 
be a committee to correspond with the general committee 
of Philadelphia ; that these sentiments be immediately 
forwarded to the committee of correspondence at 
Philadelphia. 

The gentlemen above named, after being chosen and 
appointed a committee of correspondence, resolved upon 
the following letter to be transmitted to the committee of 
Philadelphia, directed to Mr. Charles Thompson, and is as 
follows, viz : 

Lancaster, the 15th June, 1774. 

Sir : — Agreeable to the request of the Committee of 
Correspondence for the city of Philadelphia, signified to 
some of the Inhabitants here, by your letter. We have 
this evening had a Meeting of the Inhabitants of this 
Town, (at which a very great number attended) at the 
Court House, and unanimously gave their assent to the 
Resolves or Agreement inclosed. As taking the senti- 
ments of the county could n-jt be so expeditiously done 
by having a general Meeting of the Inhabitants, we 
thought best to give you those of the Town, and have 
the pleasure now to assure you that the Inhabitants of 
the county in general begin to entertain similar opinions 
within, as to this matter — and no doubt, heartily concur 
in them at a Meeting which we shall endeavor as soon as 
possible to have with them. We hope you will give us 
intelligence of any matters worthy of notice, and be 
assured we shall do everything in our power to promote 
the General Interest. 

We are, &c. Signed by 

Edward Shippen, James Webb, Matthias Slough, 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 375 

William Atlee, William Henry, Esqrs., Messrs. Ludwig 
Lauman, William Bausman, Charles Hall. 

Ordered that Eberhart Michael the clerk of this com- 
mittee do forward a copy of this day's resolves to Mr. 
Charles Thompson, the clerk of the committee at Philadel- 
phia, whh a copy of this letter, signed by him. 

At a meeting of the committee of correspondence, ap- 
pointed for the borough of Lancaster, the 2d of July, 
1774, Edward Shippen, Esq. being chosen chairman: 
The committee taking into consideration the resolves of 
the respectable inhabitants of the city and county of Phil- 
adelphia, on the 18th of June last; as also, the circular 
letters signed by the chairman of their said committee, 
the honorable Thomas Willig, Esq. 

Resolved, That they do most heartily concur with their 
brethren of Philadelphia, in the mode proposed for taking 
the sentiments of the good people of this province, on the 
present alarming and critical situation of the American 
colonies, therefore, 

Resolved, That notice be given to the freemen and 
inhabitants of this county with the utmost expedition, to 
choose a committee to join with the committees of the 
other counties of this province to meet at Philadelphia, 
for the very great and useful purposes mentioned in the 
said resolves and circular letters: and therefore, 

Resolved, That the freemen and inhabitants of this 
county be requested to meet on Saturday, the ninth day 
of this instant, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, at the court 
house, in Lancaster, for the purpose aforesaid. 

N. B. The said resolves of the committee at this 
meeting, being ordered to be printed, and the same after 
they were printed, signed by Edward Shippen, Esq., the 
chairman, Sent and put up at all public places in the 
county. 



576 HISTORY OF 

Now following the copy of the circular letter mention-* 
ed in the last foregoing resolves, and is from word tc 
word, as followeth, to wit : 

Philadelphia, June 28tli, 1774. 

Gentlemen: — The committee of correspondence for this 
city and comity heg leave to enclose you printed copies 
of the resolves passed at a very large and respectable 
meeting of the freeholders and freemen, in the State 
House square, on Saturday, the 18th instant. By the 4th 
of those resolves, you will observe that it was left for the 
committee " To determine on the most proper mode of 
collecting the sense of this province in the present critical 
situation of our affairs, and appointing deputies to attend 
the proposed Congress. In pursuance of this trust, we 
have, upon the maturest deliberation, determined upon a 
mode contained in the two following propositions, which, 
we hope, may meet Avith the approbation and concur- 
rence of your respectable county, viz: 

First : " That the Speaker of the honorable House of 
Representatives be desired to write to the several mem- 
bers of Assembly in this province, requesting them to 
meet in this city as soon as possible, but no later than the 
1st of August next, to take into their consideration our 
very alarming situation. 

Second : 'That letters be written to proper persons in 
each county, recommending it to them, to get committees 
appointed to their respective counties, aud that the said 
committees or such a number of them as may be thought 
proper, may meet at Philadelphia, at the time the repre- 
sentatives are convened, in order to consult and advise 
on the most expedient mode of appointing deputies for 
the general Congress, and to give their weight to such as 
may be appointed.' 

The Speaker of the Assembly, in a very obliging and 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 377 

ready manner, had agreed to comply with the request hi 
the former of those propositions ; but we are now inform- 
ed that, on account of the Indian disturbances, the Gov- 
ernor has found it necessary to call the Assembly to meet 
in their legislative capacity, on Monday, the 18th of July, 
being about the same time the Speaker would probably 
have invited them to a conference or convention in their 
private capacity. 

What we have therefore to request is, that if you 
approve of the mode expressed in the second proposition, 
the whole or part of the committee appointed, or to be 
appointed for your county, will meet the committees from 
the other counties, at Philadelphia, on Friday the fifteenth 
of July, in order to assist in framing instructions, and 
preparing such matter as may be proper to recommend 
to our representatives, at their meeting the Monday 
following. 

We trust, no apology is necessary for the trouble we 
propose giving your committee of attending at Philadel- 
phia, as we are persuaded you are fully convinced of the 
necessity of the closest Union among ourselves, both in 
sentiment and action ; nor can such union be obtained so 
well by any other method, as by a meeting of the county 
committees of each particular province in one place, 
preparatory to the general Congress. 

We would not offer such an affront to the well known 
public spirit of Pennsylvania, as to question yoar zeal oft 
the present occasion. Our very existence in the ranks of 
freemen, and the security of all that ought to be dear to 
us, evidently depend upon our conducting this great cause 
to its proper issue by firmness, wisdom and unanimity. 
We cannot therefore doubt your ready concurrence in 
every measure that may be conducive to the public good; 
and it is with pleasure we can assure you, that all the 



378 HISTORY OF 

colonies, from South Carolina to New Hampshire, seem 
animated with one spirit in the common cause, and con- 
sider this as the proper crisis for having our differences 
with the mother country brought to some certain issue, 
and our hberty iixt upon a permanent foundation. This 
desirable end can only be accomplished by a free com- 
munion of sentiments, and a sincere fervent regard to the 
interests of our common country. We beg to be favored 
with an answer to this, and whether the committee for 
your county can attend at Philadelphia, at the time pro- 
posed. Signed by order of the committee. 

Thomas Willig, Chairman. 
To the committee for Lancaster county. 

Pursuant to the pubhcation of the resolves of the com- 
mittee before mentioned; A general meeiing of the 
freemen and inhabitants of this county, (of Lancaster,) 
was held on Saturday, the 9th of July, 1774. 

George Ross, Esq., being chosen chairman. This 
assembly taking into serious consideration the several late 
acts of the British Parliament, relative to America ; came 
unanimously to the following declarations and resolves^ 
viz : 

1. We do sincerely profess and declare, that his most 
gracious majesty King George the third, is our rightful 
and lawful sovereign ; and that we will support and 
defend him to the utmost pf our power with our lives 
and fortunes against his enemies. 

2. We do further declare that no power is constitu- 
tionally lodged in the hands of any body of men, to give 
and grant our money, save only our representatives in 
Assembly, who have at all times cheerfully granted aid 
to his majesty whenever he has made requisition from 
them. 

3. That the acts of the British Parliament for divest 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 379 

ing us of such right, and assuming such power tliem- 
selves, are unconstitutional, unjust and oppressive. 

4. That it is an indispensible duty we owe to ourselves 
and posterity, to oppose with decency and firmness, every 
measure tending to deprive us of our just rights and 
privileges. 

5. That a close union of the colonies, and their faith- 
fully adhering to such measures as a general Congress 
shall judge proper, are the most likely means to procure 
redress of American grievances, and settle the rights of 
the colonies on a permanent basis. 

6. That it is highly expedient to appoint a committee 
to meet the committees of the other counties of this prov- 
ince, at Philadelphia, on the 15th instant, to confer 
with them on the important matters, mentioned in the 
letter from the chairman of the committe of Philadelphia. 

7. That we will sincerely and heartily agree to and 
abide by the measures which shall be adopted by the 
members of the general Congress of the colonies. 

8. That we tenderly sympathize with our brethren of 
Boston, who are suffering in the American cause, by an 
unconstitutional and oppressive act of the British Parlia- 
ment, called the Boston Port bill 

9. That a subscription be opened for the relief of our 
suffering brethren there. 

10. That the subscription be put into the hands of the 
committee of this county, to be by them laid out in the pur- 
chase of provisions and sent to Boston towards the relief 
of their distresses. 

11. That the committee for the borough of Lancaster 
already appointed, be a committee of correspondence, 
and that George Ross, James Webb, Mathias Slough, 
Joseph Ferree, Emanuel Carpenter and William Atlee, 
Jlsqrs., Mr. Alexander Lowry, Mr. Moses Irwin, be s^ 



3S0 HISTORY OP 

committee to meet and consult with the committees of the 
other counties of this province at Philadelphia the 15th 
inst., and also to join with the committee of correspond- 
ence in receiving subscriptions for the relief our Boston 
brethren. 

It was then moved, that the thanks of the freemen and 
inhabitants present, should be rendered to the worthy 
Chairman for the very proper and spirited address made 
by him to this Assembly, rejilete with the warmest 
expressions of loyalty to his Majesty, and fervent zeal 
for the common interest of America — which motion was 
agreed to by a general holding up of hands, and the 
thanks of the Assembly were then presented to ]Mr. Ross 
for his patriotic conduct upon this occasion. 

Eberhart IVIichael, Clk. 

A subscription was then inmiediatel}^ opened by tlie 
committee for the benefit of our suffering brethren of the 
town of Boston, and very handsome sums subscribed by 
several of the persons present, and at the request of 
numbers of the reputable inhabitants, papers are printing 
and sending to the dilYerent townships, to receive the 
subscriptions of the inhabitants of tliis county, which, 
it is expected, will amount to a considerable sum, and 
will be collected as expeditiously as possible by the com- 
mittee and laid out as shall be thought to answer the good 
purpose intended. 

A paper was delivered by J\Ir. Elijah Weikersliam, to 
the Chairman at this meeting, and read by him, contain- 
ing similar resolves (with the above) of the freemen of 
the townships of Paxton and Derry, at their meeting at 
the town of JNIiddletown on the Sth last past, and signed 
by James Bird, Esq., chairman. 

At a meeting of the committee of the county of Lan- 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 381 

caster, at Lancaster, on the 9tli September, 1774, Edward 
Shippen, Esq. in the chair. 

The subscription received for the relief of the distresses 
of the poor inhabitants of the town of Boston, were laid 
before the committee, and it appeareth that the sum of 
one hundred and fifty three pounds, fifteen shillings and 
two pence, has been collected in the Borough of Lancas- 
ter for the purposes aforesaid, and it being put to the vote 
whether the said sum should not be immediately remitted 
to Philadelphia to Mr. John Nixon the Treasurer of the 
city and county of Priiladelphia, to be laid out in such 
manner as the committee for the said city and county- 
should think proper for the rehef of our distressed poor 
brethren of the town of Boston, the same was carried in 
the affirmative, and Edward Shippen, Esq., the chairman, 
is requested to forward the said sum of money fortiiwith 
to Philadelpliia for the purpose aforesaid. 

At this time no proper account could possibly be had 
of the subscription papers of the several townships in 
this county. 

The following letter was omitted entering in its proper 
place, and is as follows, to wit : — 

Gentlemen : — Enclosed you will receive a printed cir- 
cular letter signed by the chairman of our committee, and 
the resolves therein referred to, with some other printed 
papers. The use to be made of them, your own prudence 
and good judgment will suggest ; we would be glad to 
hear as soon as possible from the committee for your 
county, and are Your most humble servant, 

William Smith. 
Your assured friend, 

Isaac Howell. 

Philadelphia, June 29, 1774. 

To Edward Shippen and George Ross, Esq'rs., who 



382 HISTORY OF 

are requested to communicate the enclosed papers to the 
other gentlemen of the committee. 

Those gentlemen named and appointed at the meeting 
of the 9th July last, did attend the provincial convention 
at Philadelphia, on Monday the 15th then next. And 
the proceedings together Avith the resolves of that provin- 
<;ial committee, hath been inserted in the public papers. 

At a meeting of the committee August 11th, they were 
informed that Joshua and Robert Lockharts, of this 
borough, shopkeepers, had brought to this town a 
quantity of tea, that hath paid duty under the late act of 
parliament. A note was therefore sent to them by the 
committee requiring their immediate attendance. In 
consequence thereof one of the partners called on the 
committee, but denied their having received any tea, but 
as this account by no means appeared satisfactory from 
several matters which escaped the partner attending, the 
committee did inspect their shop, and with some diffi- 
culty learned of a chest of Bohea tea, weight 349 
neat weight which they had bought from a certain 
merchant in Philadelphia. The committee taking an 
account of all the marks of the case in which it was 
packed, removed the tea, and wrote to the committee of 
Philadelphia, who examined the matter, and it appeareth 
that this tea never had paid any duty, but was part of a 
seizure made by the Custom house and was afterwads 
purchased at public sale by the original owner of it, as by 
a letter from the committee of Philadelphia, dated 
August 25th, wrote and signed by the Honorable 
Thomas Willing, the chairman, directed to this committee, 
appears ; upon which, the said teas were returned again, 
and the said Lockharts were acquitted. 

The Continental Congress held at Philadelphia, the 5th 
of September, 1774, continued to the 25th of October^ 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 383 

The votes and proceedings of which, have since been pub- 
lished in the pubUc papers, and printed also by a pam- 
phlet containing the bill of rights, list of grievances, 
occasional resolves, the association, an address to the 
people of Great Britain, a memorial to the inhabitants 
of the British American Colonies, and petition to the 
King. 

November 22nd, 1774. The committee of this bor- 
ough met and the following hand bill by them ordered to 
be printed, and sent to, and put up at all the public places 
in this county viz : 

To the freeholders and electors of the county of 
Lancaster : , -i 

The committee for the borough of Lancaster, taking in J 
their consideration the resolves and recommendations of 
the American continental Congress, request that the free^ 
holders and others qualified to vote for Representatives in 
Assembly for the county of Lancaster, would meet at the 
Court house, in Lancaster, on Thursday the fifieenth day 
of December next, to choose by ballot sixty proper 
persons for a committee, to observe the conduct of all 
persons touching the general Association of the general 
Congress ; which committee, it is proposed, when elected, 
shall divide the county into different districts, and appoint 
members of the committee to superintend each district, 
and any six of the members so appointed for a district to 
be a quorum for transacting business. 

It will be necessary, previous to the general election, 
that each township shall elect a proper person to act as 
inspector, and receive the tickets of the electors on that 
day. 

On the said 15th day of December, in pursuance to the 
notice above mentioned, a general election was held at 
the borough of Lancaster, for this county, and the fol- 



384 HISTORY OP 

lowing porsons were chosen as, and for, a committee, viz ; 
Lancaster borough — Edward Sliippen, George Ross, 
James Webb, Adam Sim. Kuhn, Jasper Yeates, WilUanl 
Atlee, Adam Reigart, Wm. Bausman, Christian Voght, 
Eberhart Michael, Charles Hall, Casper Shaffner. 
Conestoga — Martin Bare. Manor — John Killhafer, Jacob 
Wistler, *James Jacks. Hempfiakl — Val. Breneman.— 
Manheim — Samuel Bear, Sebastian Graff. (As the first 
district.) Upper Paxton, Londonderry, Derry, Hanover 
and Paxton, (the second district,) — Paxton — ^James Burd, 
do. Joseph Slierer — Hanover, Timothy Green— Derry, 
Castle Byers, do. * William Laird, do. *RobertMcKee — 
Londonderry, John Cam})bell, — Paxton, John Bakes- 
tose — Upper Paxton, William Patterson — Hanover, 
William Brown, do. James Crawford. Warwick, Rapha, 
Mountjoy and Donegal, (the 3rd district,) Mountjoy, 
* James Cunningham, do. Abrm. Frederick — Rapho, Ja- 
cob Erisman, do. Patrick Hay — Donegal, *Bartram Gal- 
braith, do. Alexander Lowrey, do. Frcd'k Mumma— «- 
Warwick, Jacob Erb, do. Peter Grubb. Bethel, Heidel-- 
berg, Elizabeth and Lebanon, (the 4th District, — Leba- 
non, Thomas Clark, do. Curtis Grubb, do. Henry Lights- 
Bethel, *Ludwig Shuy, do. *Casper Corr, do. *John Bi- 
shon — Heidleburg, John Weiser — Bethel, ^Killian Long, 
do. *Sam'l Jones — Elizabeth, Hans Frantz, Lebanon, 
Henry Bealor. Brecknock, Carnarvon, Cocalico and 
Earl, (the 5tli District,)— Earl, *Alex'r Martin, da 
*Emanu3l Carpenter, do. *Anthony Ellmaker, do. Wm. 
Smith, do. *Zacheus Davis, do. Geo. Rein, do. Jno. Bruw 
baker — Cocalico, John Jones — Brecknock, Benj. Lessley— 
Carnarvon, David Jenkins. Lampeter, Strasburg, Lea- 
cock and Salisbury, (the 6th District,) — Salisbury *James 
Clemson, do. *Jiio. Whitehill — Leacock, David Watson, 
do. ISfath'l Lightner — SlrasLurg, Eberhart Grube, do. 



tANCASTER COUNTY. 385 

MicliH Witter — Lampeter, Jno. Witmer, Jr. Martick, 
Bart, Sadsbury, Colerain, Little Britain and Drumore, 
{the 7th district,) — Sadsbury, Robert Baiiy — Little Brit- 
ain, John AUton — Drumore, "" Thos. Porter — Bart, Jacob 
Bare — Colerain, Joshua Anderson — Martick, Jno. Snod^ 
grass — Drumore, ^'William McEntire — Little Britain, 
Thomas Whitesides — Bart, Hieronimus Hickman. 

N. B. The names with Astcricks ("*) before them, were 
elected in their respective townships, and upon proper 
certificates by them produced of their being duly elected, 
their names being added to committee. 

At a meeting of the committee of the borough of Lan- 
caster. Present, Edward Shippen, Esq. Wm. liJausman, 
Charles Hall, Christian Voght, Sebastian Graff, Adam 
Reigart, Casper Shaffncr, William Atlee, Peter Grubb, 
and Eberhart Michael, Edward Shippen, Es(|. hi the chair. 

Several of the reputable inhabitants of this borough of 
Lancaster, having mentioned their dislike to Mr. Francis 

-, having opened a dancing school in this borough, (at 

the present time) and that in their opinion the same was 
-contrary to the eighth article of the association of the 
continental Congress, and requesting a meeting of this 
committee and their sentiments on the occasion. Upon 
consideration of the matter, it is the opinion of this com- 
mittee, that the said Mr. Francis , opening and 

keeping a dancing school in tlie said borough, comes 
within the meaning of the eighth article of the association 
of the continental Congress, and that the same ought, at 
the present time, during the unhappy dispute with the 
mother country, to be discontinued. And Mr. Francis 

being sent for, waited upon the committee, and 

being informed of the sentiments of this committee, agreed 
and promised to break up and discontinue his said school 

Signed by the members above named. 

33 



386 HISTGSY OF 

A leifer received from the comm'ttee of correspondence 
of the city of Piiiiadelphir, dated the 22d December, 
1774, direc ed to the comii.ittae of this place, of which 
Viie following is a copy, viz : 

Gentlemen: By order of the committee of the City and 
Liberties of Piiiladeiphia, we have t'le pleasure to trans* 
mil you the following reso.ves, passed this day with great 
imanimily, viz : 

^'Tnat this committee think it' absolutely necessary that 
the connnittees of the counties of tiiis prcvhice, or such 
de; ut.es as t'ley may appomt for tins [ urpose^ be rec^uest-, 
ed to meet together hi }:roviiicial convention as soon. as 
convenient. 

"T.r.tt it be recommended to the ccuiity conmiittees to 
meet in said convention, on Monday, tlie 23d day of Jan- 
uary next, in the city of Piiiindelphia." 

From a view of tiie j;- resent situ^.tion of j ublic affairs, 
the committee have been in: u:ed to propose tiiis conven- 
tion, that the sense of the province may be obtained; and 
that the measures to be taken thereupon, may be the 
re,ui t of the united wisdom of ti.e co'ony. 

Tne obvious necessity of giving an immediate conside- 
ration to many matters of tne great^jst importance to thg 
general welfare, vv^ii;, \vq Lope, anhcient.y apologize to 
ycu for naming so early a day as t^c 221 o[ JaLUury. 
We are, gentlemen, roS[vc(^t,u..y, 
Ycu? L.UAiliii fNCivants, 

./ iReed, Ci:ari.ea Ti.om]:&on, Geo. Ciymer, John Nix- > 
Gi . .. >.n B^nez.t, S-.!:.'i Meredith, Thus. il>l;lhin, Jona. 
B. Sn.iti , Comuxittec oT ccrrcs;ondti ( e. 

The loilowii g iettcr iV( m the C(,n niittcc oi corrcq ciA- 
cr:ce lor the c. u:.ty oi iii^.ks, was bent to the c<.L.n;.ttce 
of t;ns piaCe, v.z: 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 387 

^¥ Reiidingj 2i Jaiumy, 1775. 

This diy th^ committee of this ccuity mat here. A 
letter from the committee of correspondence of the City 
and Liberties of Philadelphia, (m.eaning the same above,) 
was laid before them proposing a provincial convorition, 
to be held at Philadelphia, the 22i instant. The letter 
being du'y considered, the committee unanimously agreed 
to the proposed convention, and appointed Edward Bid- 
die, Jonathan Potts, Mark B>d, Christopher Shutz, John 
Patton, Sebastian Levan, and lUlzer Gehr, a committee 
to attend to said convention, in behalf of this county. — 
Tae committee then proceeded to choose a conmtittee of 
correspondence, and Edward Biddle, William Reerer, 
Mark Bn'J, Jonathan Potts, and Christopher Witt man, 
were duly elected a committee of correspondence for this 
county. Extract from the proceedings of the committee. 

Jonathan Potts, Clerk. 

Another letter from the same committee of correspond- 
ence of the county of Berks, to the committee of this 
place, viz : 

Gentlemen : Enclosed is an extract from the proceed 
ings of t'le committee of this county, by which you will 
see that deputies are appointed to attend the proposed 
provincial convention. 

When we consider that our disputes are drawing fast to 
a crisis, and that t'ne most cordia. unanimity is absolutely 
necessary lor our preservation ; we cannot doubt but that 
your respectable committee will without. hesitation appoint 
deputies to attend the provincial Congress. The neglect 
of any one county may have the most fatal consequences. 
Anl we well know the pleasure it would give our ene- 
mies to see even the appearance of a disunion at this 
very important time. 



S88 HISTORY OF 

The great consequence of this subject will, we hope^„ 
apologize for this freedom. 

We are, gentlemen, with the greatest respect. 
Your most obedient humble servants, 

Edward Biddle, Jonathan Potts, William Reerer, 
Christopher Witman, Mark Bird, 

Committee of correspondence. 
Reading, 5th January, 1775. 

N. B. The above mentioned extracts, &c. are put 
among the files of other papers relative to the committee. 

At a meeting of the committee of inspection of the 
county of Lancaster, at the Court house, in Lancaster, on 
Saturday, the 14th day of January, 1775, Edward Ship-, 
pen, Esq. was chosen chairman. 

It was unanimously agreed that in case of any differ-, 
once in sentiments, the question proposed be determined 
by the members of committee, voting by townships. 

A letter from the committee of correspondence of the 
City and Liberties of Philadelphia, and another letter from 
the committee of correspondence of Berks county, were 
then read ; and it being put to vote, whether this com- 
mittee would appoint deputies to meet the other counties 
of this province in provincial convention, on Monday, the 
23d January instant, the same was carried in the affir- 
mative : 

Yeas; Borough of Lancaster, Hempiield township, 
Manheim township, Paxton township, Hanover township, 
Londonderry township, Mountjoy township, Rapho town- 
ship, Donegal township, Warwick township, Lebanon 
township. Bethel township, Elizabeth township. Earl 
township, Brecknock township, Ca3rnarvon township, 
Salisbury township, Leacock township, Lampeter town- 
ship, Sadsbury township. Little Britain township, Dru* 
mere township, Colerain township. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 3S9 

Nays ; Lancaster township, Deny tcv^nship, Strasburg 
township, Bart township. 

Absent ; Conestoga township, Upper Paxton township, 
Ileidleberg township, CocaUco township, Martick town^ 
sliip, Manor towiiship. 

Tiie cornmlttse then proceeded to appoint deputies, and 
the following genth^men, to wit: — Adam Simon Kuhn, 
James Burd, James Cienison, Esq , Peter Grubb, Sebas- 
tian Graff, David Jenkins and B irirani Galbraith,or any 
live of them, were nominated to attend the said provin- 
cial convention, in behalf of tlie county of Lancaster. 
Edward Shippen, Cliairman. 

The preceding proceedings of tlie committees and 
occurrences, being recorJed by E. M. (Ju.ie SJ, 1775 ) 

At a meeting of the committee of inspection and obser- 
vation, of the borough of Lancaster, th'e 27th of April, 
1775, at the hou ie of Adam Reigart. 

Pi'eseut; Eiward Snippen, Esq., Wilham Atlee, V/m. 
Bausman, Cnarles Hail, Wuliam FattersOn, Casper Saalf- 
ner, Eberhart Michael, Adam Rjigart. 

Edward Shippen, Esq. was chosen president. 

It appearing by intelligence from d.vers places and by 
th.3 papers, that General Gage, hat'i at length attacked 
the inhabitantj of MassacLu .etts Bay, . ^ed and 

wou.ided many of t.iem, and the iatei-t accounts froin 
Ejgiand confirming the accouiits that the Parhamen4: of 
Great Britain are determined by foice of arti.s to coinixl 
the colonies to an abject suomission to tjie late acts of Lie 
British Parliameiit, caicu ctted to deprive thi> iwhab.tants 
of t.ie colonies of t leir inebt.mabie rig. to and privdeges ; 
and tiiat a formidable tieot and army are pr^parmg t4J'' 
mvade the colonies or some of tlieui ; it >>i^ LierL^ur^ 
thoui:ht proper tj reviujst a ffenerai mt^eti.ili'bfliiij e^L- 

•DLL M O O 

mittw3 ibr tliiccou.-ty, lo cjiiiu^t a:idi^tJiJ:iLneaLvj.isu..a 



590 HISTORY OP 

measures as may be necessary to be pursued at this 
alarming crisis ; and it is unanimously agreed that hand- 
bills be immediately printed and distributed throughout 
the county, requesting the members of the committee to 
meet at the house of Adam Reigart, in the borough of 
Lancaster, on Monday, the first day of May next, at two 
o'clock in the afternoon for those purposes ; and Mr. Bai-. 
ley is requested to print a sufficient number of hand-bills 
for this purpose, in the following words, to wit : 

The members of the committee of observation for the 
respective districts and townships, are desired to meet at 
the borough of Lancaster, at the house of Adam Reigart, 
in the said borough, on Monday, the first day of May 
next, at two o'clock in the afternoon, to consult and 
determine upon proper and necessary measures to be 
taken for the general good in the present alarming situa- 
tion of affairs. 

At the request of the committee of observation, in the 
borough of Lancaster. (Signed.) 

Edward Shippen, Chairman. 
Lancaster, the 27th April, 1775. 
At a meeting of the committee of observation, at the 
house of Adam Reigart, the thirtieth day of March, in 
the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and 
seventy-five., 

Present, George Ross, Esq., Jasper Yeates, Esq., Wm. 
Atlee, Esq., Adam Reigart, William Bausman, Esq., 
Charles Hall, Casper Shaffner, Samuel Bare, Eberhart 
Michael, James Cunningham, Alexander Martin, Wm. 
Smith: — George Ross, Esq., chosen chairman; George 
Ross, jun., chosen clerk. 

A complaint being made to the committee, that Charles 
Hamilton liad sold tea contrary to the association of the 
continental Congress. Ordered that notice be given to-. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 301 

said Charles Hamilton. Thereupon a copy of the follow- 
ing notice was sent toMr. Charles Hamilton. 

"Sir — You are charged before the committee for this 
county of having vended a quantity of tea since the first 
instant, contrary to the association of the continental 
Congress. The committee are now sitting at Mr. Adam 
Reigart's, and desire your attendance to answer to the 
charge." (Signed) 

Geo. Ross, jun., Clerk. 

To Mr. Charles Hamilton, shopkeeper. 

March 30, 1775. 

Mr. Hamilton having attended, and it appearing by the 
oath of John Taylor, the clerk, that the tea was sold in 
Mr. Hamilton's absence at Philadelphia, contrary to the 
express orders given by him in his store since the first of 
March instant ; and Mr. Hamilton, upon knowing of the 
said tea being sold, immediately disapproved of the sale 
thereof. And Mr. Hamilton himself, upon oath, declar- 
ing that ever since the first of March instant, his orders 
in the store have been to his clerk, that they should sell 
no tea whatsoever, and that the said sale was in his 
absence, and that he disapproves thereof. Upon conside- 
ration of the premises by the committee, it is their unani- 
mous opinion, that Mr. Hamilton stands acquitted of the 
charge against him, and that he hath not counteracted the 
association of the continental Congress. 

" I, Charles Hamilton, of the borough of Lancaster, 
shopkeeper, do hereby declare and assert, that I utterly 
disapprove of the sales of any tea in my store since the 
first day of March, instant, and it is and always hath been 
my fixed intention and determination to adhere inviola- 
bly to the association of the American continental Con- 
gl^ss, being fully convinced that the measures proposed 
thereby are the only probable modes of rescuing America 



3C3 HISTORY OF 

from l^ritish Parliamentary desrotism. Witness my 
hand, the thirtieth day of Marcli, A. D , one thousand 
seven hundred and seventy-five. (S'.gned) 

"Charles Hamilton." 

Edward S'.nppen, Esq., George Ross, Esq., Jasper 
Yeates, Esq., William At.ee, Esq., Adam S.mon Kulm, 
Esq-j and Widiam B.aisman, Esq., or any four of t lem, 
are appointed a standing co.nmittee of correspondence for 
the cou:ity of Lancaf^ter. 

Tiie members of ll^.e committee for t!ie county of Lan- 
c istjr, now present, tailing into consideration the conduct 
of George Ross, Esq , in the late ir.teresting dispute in 
the Houie of Assemb'y of this province, respecthig the 
'answer given to his honor, tiie Governor's message, re- 
commending a separate petition to his Majesty fiom the 
the said Ilou^e of Assemb y, do unanimou^iy approve of 
the active part t.ik.m by t'le said Mr. Ross in o])posirion 
to tiiat measure, as the same wou d tend to hitroduce dis- 
union amongst the co'onies ; and do return the thianks of 
the comnd tj;^ to ?vlr. Ross, and the other vv^orti;y members 
of tie honorable hou:e, who have so steadily adhered to 
the trui Vv^eifare of tiie.r const.tujnts in opposing a deep- 
laid p an to diu rite u>. 

LL.y 131:— Tne association of tlie free..:en and inhabi- 
tants of tiie cou.ity of Lanca: tjr, the 1 t May, 1775. 

Wiiereas, the enemies of Great Britain and America 
have resoived by force of arms t.> carry into execution ti.e 
most unjuit, tyrannical, and ciuil edicts of the British 
Pdihament, and reduce the freeborn sons of America to a 
st^.tj of vassalage, and have fl cttered themselves, .ram 
our uiacqu-iintance with mihtary disciphne, tlmt wg 
shou d become an easy prey to tnem, or tamely submit 
and eend our necks to tiie yoke prepared for us : We do 
most solemn. y agree and associate under the deepest sense 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 39S. 

of our duty to God, our country, ourselves and posterity, 
to defend and protect the religious and civil rights of this 
and our sister colonies, with our lives and fortunes, to the 
utmost of our abilities, against any power whatsoever 
that shall attempt to deprive us of them. 

And the better to enable us so to do, we will use our 
utmost diligence to acquaint our ourselves with military 
discipline and the art of war. 

We do further agree to divide ourselves into companies 
not exceeding one hundred men, each, so as to make it 
most convenient to our situation and settlement, and to 
elect and choose such persons as the majority of each 
company shall think proper for officers, viz : for each 
company a captain, two lieutenants and one ensign, who 
shall have the power of appointing the other officers 
imder them, necessary for the companies. 

That when the companies are formed and the officers 
chosen and appointed, an association shall be signed by 
the officers and soldiers of each company, for the good 
order and government of the officers and soldiers. 

May 3d : Resolved, That the members of the commit- 
tee of the county of Lancaster, do, with the utmost expe- 
dition, take an account of the number of whites — men, 
women and children — to the respective townships of this 
county, and transmit the same to the members of the 
committee, residing in Lancaster, to be forwarded to the 
members of the general Congress for the province of 
Pennsylvania. 

Resolved, That the members of the committee do 
examine the quantity of powder and lead the store-keepers 
have in their hands, in the respective townships, and that 
the store-keepers be required that they sell no powder or 
lead before the first of June next, as they tender the trade 
and custom of the inhabitants of the respective townships,. 



HISTORY OP 



provided tliat it be sold on'y ly such store-keepers having 
^^iceiise froai two iiieuibers ot* liie committee. 
I At a meeting of t!ie committee of observation, on the 
4ih day of May, 1775, the Commissioners of the ccu::ty 
being also presenl, Mr. (harles Hamilton agrees, th.at the 
coil ity shall have his powder, beiiig 26 casks, at the rate 
of £14 per cwt. and they paying th.e carriage ; and that 
tiie con .ty shall have his lead, being about eighf'himdred 
weight, at 4 J pence per cwt.* 

» Messrs. Jjsiah& Robert Lockhart agree that th: county 
Siiall iiave their powdc^r, being five cu irter casks, at ££15 
pfcer cwt., tii.y paying the carriage ; and their lead at 45 
pence per cwt. 

Mr. Matthias S'nugh agrees th.at t;ie county shall hav3 
his powder, being four quarter ca?ks, at £15 per cwt., 
they paying the carriage ; and his Lad at 45 pence per 
cwt. * 

Mr. Simons by Mr. Levy, Andrew Levy, agrees that 
t/ie cou:]tic;S sJiall have his }>owder, being 2 quarter ca.'ks, 
at the vAd of £15 per cwt., they pi ying the carri: ge ; and 
his lead, being aheut 2C0 pounds, at 45 per cwt. 

Mr, Ch.ristian Wntz agrees thi t the county shall have 
his powder, being 5 qu aier casks and some pounds loose, 
at th3 ratj of £15 per cwt., they ])aying the carriage; 
and Ins lead, being about 150 pou ids, at 45 p^r cwt. ' 
_Mr John Hopson agrees t lat t.ie ceunty shall have his 
powder, being 2 qu irter casks, at the rate of £15 per cwt., 
thty paying the carriage. 

*Jaiiuary 22, 1774, an act was passed by the General A^sem- 
1 ly, tluit no })ers(ji) or persons v\itl'.ln the limits ol Laaca.^ter 
borough, .shall keep ir any hou-.e or shop, cellar, store, or (4her 
place mure than twenty-tive pnuuds vveigiit cfgunpovvdcr, and 
that was to be kept in the Idghebt t,tory (.f the house, at any 
one time, ludess it had been fifty yard.:, di.-tanl from any dwell- 
iag house, under the penalty of live pounds. 



LAKCAS'iER CCUNTY. '3G5 

Ivir. Crawford agrees t!)ct the coiuity shall liava his 
powder, heiiig 10 or 12 pou.jds, at tae rate of ^C 15 per 
cvvt. and carriage. 

Mr. Bickham agrees that the county shall liave his* 
powder, being 1 quaitjr cask and some loose powdji', at 
the rate of £15 p':.r cwt. and carriage ; and iiis lead at 
45 per cwt. 

Mr. Graff agrees that t'le county shall have his powder, 
being abou: a quarter cask, at t.n^rate of £15 p^r cwt.* 
paying carriage. 

At a meeting of the committee of observation hr the 
borough and cou ity of Lancaster, at the house of Aclara 
Rjigart, the 15th May, 1775. 

Present ; George Rjss, Esq., chairman, Jasper Yeates, 
Eiq., William At ee, Esq., C.iarles Hall, Eberhart Mi- 
chael, Casper S.iaffner, Adam Heigart, Sebastian Graff, 
Esq, Eninu3l Carpenter, Esq., James Cieaison, Esq., 
Al.xmder l^owry, Jimes Cu unngliam, Simu.d 13 :re, 
James Burd, Esq., C.iristian Voght and Jacob Erb. 

Tie question being put whetiier t.ie powder, lead, and 
other military stores, v/iiicii can be coiieete ia the 
cou. ity. * ^ * * * * * 
[^I^re the connection is broken.] 

Wednesday, Noveiuber 81a, 1775. 

A immber of the members of committee, chosen and 
appoitited by the several townships in- Lancaster county, 
to sjrve as committee men for tiie ensunig year, assen.- 
b^ed at the Co,u:t house, in Lancaster. 
Present. 

For the borough of Lancaster — William Bausman, S: 
cob Ciatz, Gasper S.iaffner, Cnristian Vognt, Aoran-f 
Dehu.V, Ml'..!ic. jI Musser. For Lmeaster— Andre w G. 
Michael Snatilr, For Manheim— Peter iincnman, 
bactiaii Graff, Jasper Yeates. Fer .>Hnjr — Ljonard 



396 HISTORY OF 

luiik For CoiK^stogaT-William Atlee, IVIichaBl Haber- 
stick. Abraham Newcomer. For Strasburg — Everhard 
Gruber, John Breckbill. For Warwick — John Erb, Pe- 
ter Kratsor. For CocaUco — Michael Witmer. For Lam- 
peter — John Whitman, jr.. Henry Kendig. For Caer- 
narvon — David Jenkms. Joshna jjvajis. Henry Weaver. 
For Lebanon — John Philip de Haas. Pliilip Greenwah. 
For Bethel — Casper Kohr, John Beshore. Killian Long. 
For Hanover — John Rogers, Jolm McKewn. For Lon- 
donderry — William Hays. For Donegal — Alexander 
Lowry, Robert Craig. For MomUjoy — James Cnnning- 
ham, John Jamison, Abraham Scott. For Upper Pax- 
tang — Samuel Taylor, James JMorrow. For Brecknock — 
Benjamin Leslie. 

Tiie members present proceeded to the choice of a 
chairman, when Jasper Ye ate s, Esq. was elected, and 
took his seat accordingly. 

George Ross, junior, Esq. was chosen Secretary. 

Peter Riblet was appointed door-keeper and messenger 
to this committee. 

Tiie returns of the elections in the several townships 
were produced, and read, and approved of by this com- 
mittee ; the following gentlemen thereby appearing to 
have been duly chosen in the respective townships as 
members of connnittee in the county of Lancaster, viz : 

In the borough of Lancaster — Edward SIhppen, Geo. 
Ross, William Bausman, Jacob Clatz, Casper Shaffner^ 
George Moore, Christian Voght, Abraham DehutV, Jacob 
Krug, Michael Musser, Adam Reigart. In Lancaster 

wnship — Matthias Slough, Andrew Graff, Michael 

nik. In Hemplield — Peter Brubaker, Robert Spear, 

. Hoover. In Manheim — Peter Bachman, Sebastian 

', Jasper Yeates. In ■Manor — Leonard Rodfunk^ 

Rupley, Henry Funk. In Conestogo— William 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 307 

Alice, Michael llaberstick, Abmlinm Newcomer. In 
Driirnorc — John J^ong, William McEiilire, John Smiloy. 
In Strasburg — Samuel Lefevre, Kverhard ruber, John 
Breckbill. In Lampeter — John Whitman, jun., Henry 
Kendig, John Kirk. In Warwick — Valentine Griner, 
Jacob Erb, Peter Cratzer. In Elizabeth — George Iloylc, 
Christian StaleyJ Christian Royer. In Cocalico — Michael 
Witman, Adam Grill, George Elick. In Earl — (iabricl 
Davis, George Ilhinc, Jonathan Roland. In (J;e)M,'irvoii — 
David Jenkins, Joshua Evans, Henry Weaver. In Jkeck- 
nock — Benjamin Leslie, Peter Good, Conrad Popp. In 
Heidleberg — Henry Eckart, George Hudson, Michael 
Ley. In Lebanon — John Philip de Haas, l-*hilip Green- 
wait, John Light. In Bothel — Casf)er Kolir, John Be- 
shore, KillianLong. In Hanover — John MeKown, John 
Rogers, William Cathcart. hi J.ondonderry — William 
Hays, Robert Clark, Jacob Cook, in Donegal — Bartram 
Galbraith, Alexander Lowry, Robert Craig. In Mount- 
joy — James Cunningham, Abraham S.^itt, John Jami- 
son. In Rapho — James Patterson, Jacob Haldernan, Jo- 
seph Litlc. In Upper Paxtang — Adam Warts, James 
Murray, Samuel Taylor. 

The return from the township of Paxtang being pro- 
duced in these words, to wit : 

"At an election held at Mr. William Dickey's, in Pax- 
ton township, the I7th October, 177.5, the following six 
persons were elected as members of the county conuTiit- 
tee for the county of ]/incaster, to wit: James Burd, Jo- 
seph Sherer, William Brown, John Harris, James Crunch, 
and Jacob Awl, or any three of tliese men to be adniitted 
in the committee from time to time." 

Certified by James Burd and Joseph Sherer. The 
same was objected to, and it being put to vote whet?ier 
the same return should be received, as it contained a 

34 



398 HISTORf 01^ 

return of six persons instead of three, it paSse'd in tll# 
negative unanimously. 

Resolved, That in determining a question in this com- 
mittee, the borough of Lancaster and the several town- 
ships in this county shall have each one vote, and the 
majority of the townships or borough and townships sa 
voting shall determine the question. 

Resolved, That no person shall speak more than twice 
on the same point, without leave of the committee. 

The letters of the committee of safety of this province, 
to the committee of this county, respecting J. Brooks and 
Doctor John Kearsley, (which were received at Lancas- 
ter, between the time of the election of this committecy 
and this meeting,) were read ; and the proceedings of the 
gentlemen of the committee who negociated that busi* 
iiess, and escorted Doctor Kearsley to York, being taken 
into consideration, their conduct is approved of by this 
committee. And the following persons, to wit: George 
Ross, Jasper Yeates, William Atlee, William Bausman^ 
^^atthias Slough, Christian Voght, Jacob Glatz, Abraham 
Dehuff, Sebastian Graff, Andrew Graff, John Whitmer, 
jun., and Jacob Krug are appointed by the members of 
the committee now present, a sub-committ"e to see the 
sentence and resolves of the committee of safety rt-spect* 
ing J. Brooks, a prisoner in goal of this county, strictly 
carried into execution. And it is ordered that no person 
be admitted inio the company of the said J. Brooks, but 
in the i)r';sence of one or more of the sub-committee 
aforesaid, of which the goaler is to have notice. 

Adjourned until to-morrow morning, eleven o'clock. 
Thursday, November 9th, 1775. 
The committee met according to adjournment. 

Present, 
The same members who attended yesterday, and 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 



S'd'9 



moreover George Ross, Jacob Kmg, George Moon and 
Adam Reigart, for the borough of Lancaster: Henry 
Eckert and Michael Ley for Heidleberg township ; and 
Gabriel Davis for Bart township. 

A new return of members elected for Pa:5itang town- 
ship being produced to the committee, certifying that Jo- 
seph Sherer, William Brown and John Harris were duly 
chosen to serve as members of the committee for the said 
townships, the said return is approved of, and they took 
their seats accordingly. 

A letter from the committee of safety to the late com- 
mittee of this county, dated October 7th, 1775, respecting 
some provincial muskets supposed to be in the hands of 
the military associators and others in this county, being 
produced and read : 

Resolved, That William Atlee, Alexander Lowry and 
Sebastian Graff be a committee for preparing the draft of 
an answer to the said letter, and that they report the same 
to this committee in the afternoon. 

Resolved, Unanimously, that this committee will use 
their endeavors to carry into immediate execution the 
resolves of the honorable House of Assembly respecting 
the six hundred stand of arms and other military accou- 
trements to be furnished by the county of Lancaster. 

The question being put whether the gun-smiths residing 
in the borough of Lancaster should not be immediately 
sen for to give their reasons to this committee, why they 
have not set about making the arms directed by the hon- 
orable House of Assembly to be made in the county of 
Lancaster, agreeable to the application of the commis- 
sioners an assessors of the said county. The same was 
unanimously carried in the affirmative, and the gun- 
smiths were sent for accordingly. 

A petition signed by Henry Zericher being presented 



400 HISTORY OP 

to the committee, upon inquiry into the facts therein 
contained, it is ordered by this committee (three town- 
ships dissenting) that the said Henry Zericher be allowed 
five pounds of powder, and no more, out of the public 
magazine, for the purposes expressed in the petition, he 
paying for the same into the county treasury at the rate 
four shillings per pound. 

The sub-committee appointed to essay the draft of an 
answer to the letter of the committee of safety respecting 
the provincial muskets, do now report to this committee, 
the draft of the answer which they had prepared, in these 
words, to wit : 

Lancaster, November 9th, 1775. 

Gentlemen : — Your letter of the 7th day of October 
last, directed to the committee of Lancaster county 
respecting the provincial muskets, in the hands of the 
military associators and others in this county, has been 
laid before this committee and taken into consideration. 

We find that the gentlemen who were the committee 
of correspondence, appointed by the late county commit- 
tee, had upon the receipt of your letter, published and 
dispersed hand-bills throughout the county requiring the 
persons possessed of such muskets to bring them in at 
this time. As none are brought in, we beg leave to 
suggest to you some facts, relative to those arms, and 
wait your further directions. 

After the troops raised by the province in the late war 
were disbanded, a number of muskets and military accou- 
trements were lodged at a Mr. Carson's in Paxtang, 
where they remained without any notice or care being 
taken of them, until the unhappy disputes between Great 
Britain and the Colonies rendered it indispensably neces-. 
sary for our safety to associate and arm in defence of our 
rights. The then committee of this county upon hearing 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 401 

of those arms, requested some of their members to exam- 
ine and send them down, intending an appUcation to the 
Assembly to have them repaired at tlie public expense, 
and put into the hands of such associators as were unable 
to furnish themselves, and who were to give receipts for 
them to be returned, if not lost in actual service. At 
this time arms were sought for with great assiduity by 
every one, who wished to be instructed in the military 
discipline. The inhabitants of Cumberland county, 
knowing also of the provincial muskets, were beforehand 
with us, and having the first choice, took between sixty 
and seventy of the best of them (for which Mr. Carson 
lias a receipt) leaving a parcel of rubbish which were sent 
to this town, consisting of barrels mostly without locks 
and stocks, and all of them so covered with rust that they 
were thought almost unfit for use, and scarcely worth 
repairing. Many of them were loaded and had probably 
been so for many years. Some of the poor associators 
here took the barrels, and with much labor had them 
cleaned. By the help of some old locks which about this 
time were found in a garret in this town (without an 
owner) and were distributed amongst them, they had 
them put into such repair, as to serve them to exercise 
with. Tliese persons have been at a considerable expense 
in putting them in the order they now are ; and if they 
are deprived of them, are not able to purchase others.—* 
There area few indeed of the best of the firelocks which 
we think could safely be trusted to for real service. To 
take the arms from the poor people under such circum- 
stances would greatly damp their martial spirit. 

We conceive it our duty to mention these things to the 
committee of safety. If that honorable Board, neverthe- 
less, shall be of opinion that sucli firelocks will be of use 
and v^ill direct in what maimer the people who havo 

34* 



402 HISTORY OP 

been at expense in repairing them are to be reimbursed, 
we shall cheerfully exert ourselves to the utmost of our 
power in calling them in, and forwarding them to Phila- 
delphia. 

This, gentlemen, is the first opportunity we have had 
of answering your letter relative to the arms. Give us 
leave to assure you, it will afford us great pleasure to be 
instrumental in any degree to the safety of the city of 
Philadelphia. We feel very sensibly the situation of your 
citizens ; we deem ourselves most strongly bound to give 
every assistance in our power to repel any attack which 
may be attempted against you, and humbly trust we shall 
not be deficient in the day of danger. 

Your letter of the 19th October, came to our hands. — 
According to your desire a proper guard from hence con- 
ducted Dr. Kearsley to York, and took a receipt for his 
safe delivery to the committee there. S. Brooks remains 
confined in our gaol. A sub-committee of twelve gen- 
tlemen residing in and near this town, has been appoint- 
ed to see that your sentence and resolves respecting 
Brooks, be carried into executi-m, and no person is per- 
mitted to visit him but in the presence of one or more of 
those gentlemen. 

By order of the committee of Lancaster county. 

The foregoing answer being read at the table, was 
unanimously approved of, and it is ordered that the same 
be transmitted to the committee of safety by the first 
conveyance. 

Adjourned until to-morrow, eight o'clock 

Friday, November 10th, 1775. 

The committee met according to adjournment. 
Present. 

The same members who attended yesterday, and 
moreover Joseph Litle for Raphe townsliip. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 405 

Upon motion, Resolved, That in case any of the gun- 
smiths, in the county of Lancaster, upon apphcation made 
to them by the members of the committees of the respec- 
tive townships to which they belong, shall refuse to go to 
work and make their proportion of the firelocks and 
bayonets required by this county, by the honorable House 
of Assembly, within two weeks from such application 
agreeble to the patterns, at the Philadelphia prices; — 
such gun-smiths shall have their names inserted in the 
minutes of this committee as enemies to their country, 
and published as such, and the tools of the said gun- 
smiths so refusing shall be taken from them, and more- 
over the said gun-smiths shall not be permitted to carry 
on their trades, until they shall engage to go to work as 
aforesaid, nor shall leave their respective places of resi- 
dence, until the arms are completed. And it is further 

Resolved, That the committee of correspondence and 
observation, do take especial care that their resolves be 
carried into execution. 

Christiain Isch and Peter Roigart appeared in commit- 
tee, and agreed to set to work on Monday, the twentieth 
day of November instant, and make muskets and bayo- 
nets for this county, (part of the number required from 
this county, by the honorable House of Assembly,) at 
the Philadelphia prices; and that they will confine them- 
selves to that work entirely from that time to the first day 
of March next, and furnish as many as they can possibly 
complete in the time, and deliver the same to the Com- 
missioners of the county or this committee. 

Michael Withers appeared in committee, and agreed 
to set to work as soon as he hath completed a few guns 
which he hath now in hand, and make muskets and 
bayonets for this county (part of the number from this 
county by the honorable House of Assembly,) at the 



404 HISTORY OF 

Philadelphia prices ; that he will confine himself, and his 
workmen to that work and carry on the same as expedi- 
tiously as he can, and that he will deliver in to the com- 
missioners and assessors of this county or to this com^- 
mittee as many muskets. (If further proceedings W€r« 
had, they cannot be found. 

Note.— Members of Assembly from Lancaster county for 
1775: Curtis Grubb, Matthias Slough, George Ross, James 
Webb, Thomas Porter, Bartram Galbraith. 1776: William 
Brown, John M'Millan, Philip Marsteller, James Andersoa, 
Alexander Lourey, Ludvvig Louman. 



CHAPTER IX 



Course of the mother country objectionable — Military convention at Lan- 
caster — Daniel Roberdeau and James Ewing elected Brigadier Generala — 
Resolutions passed and adopted — Committee of safety ; Convention to 
form the first State constitution. Pennsylvania and Lancaster county 
active — Numerous incidents, &c. in Lancaster county during the Kevolu- 

■ tion — General Wayne's head quarters and correspondence with his 
excellency, Thomas Wharton, president of the executive council of Penn- 
sylvania — Congress repairs from Philadelphia to Lancaster, thence to 
York — Military meeting atManheim — Surviving Revolutionary soldier* — 
Notes, &c. 

The course pursued by the mother country, incensed 
the people of the several colonies — a continental Congress 
assembled at Philadelphia, Sept. 4, 1774 — resolutions 
were passed approving the course of the people of Mas- 
sachusetts, in opposition to Gen, Gage — the open and 
decided hostilities eventuated in bloodshed at the battle 
of Lexington, April 19, 1775 ; which was soon followed 
by. another, the battle of Bunker Hill, June 17th. To 
meet the emergency, the colonists held conventions, mili- 
tary and other meetings. In this great conflict between 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 405 

the mother country and the colonists, the inhabitants of 
Lancaster and adjacent counties, met at Lancaster 
borough, July 4th, 1776. The meeting consisted of the 
officers and privates of the fifty-three battalions of the 
Associators of the colony of Pennsylvania, to choose two- 
Brigadier Generals, to command the battalions and forces 
of Pennsylvania. Col. George Ross, was president of 
the meeting, and Col. David Clymer, secretary. 

Tho following officers and privates attended, as dele- 
gates to the convention, from Philadelphia chy and Lib- 
erties: Colonels, Chevalier, Roberdeau, Ciymer and 
Major Knox. Captains, Copenwhait, Bradford, Du- 
lancy, Brewster, and Bitting. Privates, Messrs. Nevil, 
Nelson^ Montgomery, Pool, Cox, Prior, Brower, Keck, 
Craig and Kitter, From Philadelphia county : Major 
Hughs, and George Grey standard bearer; Captains 
Hart and Edwards ; Privates; Roberts, Smith, Whitten, 
Simpson, Hazelett and Hicks. 

From Bucks county : Colonels Heckline, and Erwin ; 
Lieutenant colonels Bryan and Robinson ; Captains 
Jarvis, Falwell, Jameson, and Adjutant Thompson ; pri- 
vates. Watts, Fenton, H'oUis, Herr, Patterson, Stoaeback, 
Middlesworth, and Titus. 

From Chester county: Major Culbertson ; Colonel 
Montgomery; Lieutenant colonel Gibson ; Captains Wal- 
lace, Scott, Gardiner; privates, Cunningham, Boyd, 
Denny, Culbertson Mackey, and Fulton. 

From Lancaster county : Colonels, George Ross, Curtis 
Grubb, James Cra.wford, M. Slough, John Ferre, Peter 
Grubb, Timothy Green; Lieutenant colonels, Adam Rei- 
gart, R. Thompson, Lowry, Leonard Rautfaung, Peter 
Hendricks, Christian Weyman, Andrew Little ; Majors, 
Philip Marstaler, Thomas Smith, James Cunningham, 
Michael Fire ; Captains, Joseph Sherrer, James Murray, 



406 HISTORY OT 

James Mirur, Henry Weaver 3 privates, Cliristian Werfs^, 
Francis Baily, James Suliivap, Ludwick Ziering, John 
Smiley, Isaac Erwin, Abraham Darr, WilUam Leard, 
Henry Slaymaker, John Wliitehill, George Bealy, John 
Jameson, Christian Bough, Simon Snider, George Line, 
Joseph Whitehill, Wilhani Smith, George Wry, Wilhani 
Barnet, George Little, Michael Diffehaugh, and Anthony 
Debler. 

From York county : Colonels Smith, Diel, and LieUr 
tenant colonel Donaldson ; Majors Donwiddie, Jefferies^ 
Andrew, Finley and Craft ; Captains Smiser and Camp- 
ble; privates, W. Scott, Ewing, Clinghan, Hamilton, 
Little, Shley, J. Scott, Nealor, Messerty. 

From Cumberland county : Colonel J. Armstrong, and 
Lieutenant colonels Blair, Clark, Watts; Captains J. 
Steel, McClelland, Davison, M'F^rland, Robinson ; Ma- 
jor J. M'Calmont; privates Hbgge, E. Steel, Smith, Paw- 
ling, Brown, Sterrett, Hamilton, Read, Finley, Vance. 

From Berks county : Colonels Bird, Patton, Levan -, 
Majors, G. Hiester, Jones, Lindimuth, Loefiler; Lieuten- 
ants, Cromer, Lutz, Rice, Miller ; Adjutant, S. Eb}-; 
Captains, Keim, May ; privates, Hartman, Filbert, Mor- 
gan, Tolbut, Spoon, Winrich, Moser, Seltzer, Winter, 
Hill, J^arke, Wister, Smack. 

From Northampton county : Colonels, Guigar, Stroud; 
Majors, Lebar, Siegfried ; Captains, Orndt, Snider, Kearn., 
Jayne ; privates, M'Farren, Upp, Barkhaus, Haas, 
Brown, Best, J. M'Dawd,jr., D. Von Flick. 

From Northumberland county : Colonel B. Weiser, 
and Lieutenants Calhoun, M'Kinzie ; Lieutenant colo- 
nels, M'Clay, Moodie ; Captains, Gillespie and Gray; 
Major, Brady ; privates. Stone, M'Cartney, Gattes, Cul- 
bertson, Matlock, Yokan, Starret, M'Clanahan. 

From Westmoreland county : Colonel, P. M'- ly ; 



LANCASTER COUNTr. 407 

Captains, V. Orey, Thompson ; Major, James Smith ; 
privates, William Guthrey, W. Perry, Carmichael and 
George Gray. 

A question was put, whether the officers and privates 
shall vote by ballot, singly; and it was agreed they 
^loUld. It was also further resolved that both Brigadier 
generals be voted for at the same time, and the highest 
in votes to be the commanding officer. After colonel 
Mark Bird and captain Sharp Dulancy, witli colonel 
George Ross, president of the convention, were appointed 
judges of the election of Brigadier gei^ei^als, an election 
was held, and after casting at the poll,rlhe votes stood 
thus for Brigadier general: Daniel Roberdeau IGO; 
James Ewing 85 ; Samuel Miles 82 ; James Potter 24 ; 
Curtis Grubb 9 ; George Ross 9 ; Thomas McKean 8 ; 
Mark Bird 7. Robertdeau was elected first Brigadier 
general, Ewing second Brigadier general. 

Resokuions were then adopted, tliat the Brigadier gen- 
erals shall have fall power and authority to call out any 
number of the associators of this province into action,^ 
ajtd that power be continued until superceded by the 
<jonvention, or by any authority utider the appointment. 
That tlic president of the board shall have full power and 
autlioril} to grant commissions to the two Brigadier gen- 
erals U;itil commissions issue from the convention; or any 
authority they shall appoint to succeed them. That we' 
will march under the direction and command of our Brig- 
adier general, to the assistance of all or any of the Free 
and Independent states of America. That associators to 
be drafted out of each county, by the Brigadier generals, 
-shall be in the same proportion as that directed by the 
late provincial conference held in Philadelphia. Ttiis 
conference met June IS, and adjourned the 25th. Dele- 
gates to this conference were William Atiee, Esq., Mr. 



408 HISTORY OF 

Lodowick Lowman, colonel Bartram Galbraith, colonel 
Alexander Lowrey, captain Andrew Graaf, Mr. William^ 
Brown, Mr. John Smiley, major James Cmmingham^ 
major David Jenkins. 

While the convention was holding in Lancaster, the 
friends of American Independence, having met in con- 
vention at Philadelphia, and discussed the siiject fully 
and dispassionately, passed a Declaration of Indepen- 
dence, on the same day the convention was held in Lan* 
caster. Now the contest was fairly begun. The diffi- 
culties, on the part of the Americans, in supporting their 
pretensions, as a declared free and independent people, 
were of the most appalling character. 

After the Declaration, the magistrates who held 
appointments under the royal authority declined serving 
longer ; the business of the courts was suspended. Our 
citizens were left for a while without any constitutional 
government. In this state of things a committee of 
safety in Philadelphia undertook the management of 
affairs, under the unassuming name of recommendations, 
prescribed to the people of the state. 

" On Monday the 15th of July, 1776, a convention foi 
forming the constitution of Pennsylvania, met at Phila- 
delphia, and elected Benjamin Franklin, president ; col- 
onel George Ross, vice president; John Morris^ secre- 
tary, and Jacob Garrigues, assistant secretary. The dele- 
gates from Lancaster county, were George Ross, Philip^ 
Marsteller, Thomas Porter, Bartram Galbraith, Joseph 
Sherer, John Hubley, Henry Slaymaker and Alexander 
Lowrey. The convention, after framing the first consti- 
tution of the State of Pennsylvania, adjourned the 2Sth 
September.* 

*Several of the provinces had adopted state constitutions 
before and after Pennsylvania. New Hampshire adopted the 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 409- 

As soon as this convention was organized, it assumed 
the powers of the coinmitiee of safety — the pohtical 
power of the state. One of its first acts was the appoint- 
ment of delegates to Congress. The delegates were, 
Messrs. F'ranklin, Morton, Morris, Wilson, George Ross, 
James Smith, Benjamin Rush, George Clymer and Geo. 
Taylor. 

Pennsylvania made prodigious exertions, hi co-opera- 
ting with the allied colonies, fully to meet the hostilities. 
Several regiments were raised and equipped in Lancaster 
county. " It is believed, had all the other provinces done 
as much in proportion to their ability,^ and the men been 

first state constitution, January 5, 1776 ; South Carolina, March 
24, 1776; Virginia, June 29, 1776; New Jersey, July 2, 1776; 
Maryland, August 14,1776; Pennsylvania, September, 1778; 
Delaware, September, 1776 ; North Carolina. December, 1776 ; 
New York, April, 1777 ; Massachusetts, March, 1770 ; Vermont, 
July 4, 1786; Georgia, May, 1789. 

The first constitution of Pennsylvania of 1776, v/as altered 
and amended by a convention, held at Philadelpliia in Novem- 
ber, 1789. Delegates from Lancaster county were Edvv'ard 
Hand, Robert Coleman, Sebastian Graff, William Atlce, John 
Hubley, and John Breckbill. This convention framed the 
second constitution. An;)ther convention was held at Harris- 
burg, in the spring and summer of 1837. Met May 2 — after 
two month's session, it afterwards met at Philadelphia. The 
present or third constitution of Pennsylvania, was framed by 
this convention. Delegates from Lancaster county were Vv'il- 
iiam Hiester, James Porter, Jeremiah Brown, LindJey Coates, 
R. E. Cochran, Joseph Konighmacher, Henry G. Long, 
Emanuel C. Reigart. 

A convention commenced at Philadelphia, November 29, 
1787, for the purpose of taking into consideration the consti- 
tution framed by the federal convention for the United States. 
The delegates from Lancaster county were Stephen Chambers, 
Robert Coleman, Sebastian Gratf, John Hubley, Jasper Yeates, 
and John Whitehill. 

*Graydon's Mem. 116. 

35 



i 

410 HISTORY OF 

enlisted in war, the Americans might have avoided the 
hair-breadth escapes which ensued,"* as well as the long 
continued, arduous conflict of eight years, and an enor- 
mous sum of expense, besides saving many valuable 
hves, in delivering themselves from a foreign dominion, 
and gaining, as they did, a rank among the nations of the 
earth. Much treasure, and many lives might have been 
saved. Great Britain expended more than one hundred 
millions of dollars, with a hundred thousand lives, and 
won nothing. America expended rising of ninety millions 
of dollars, and lost many lives, and endured cruelty and 
distress. 

Lancaster county furnished its full quota of militia and 
continentals, during the Revolution. Her citizens acted 
early and efficiently. " Prior to the four regiments of St. 
Clair, Shee, Wayne and IMagaw, that of De Haas, and 
Hand's rifle company, were already raised and equipped, 
respectively commanded by Miles and Atlee, in the 
whole, nine regiments complete and very reputably 
officered." 

Numerous are the incidents, and some full of adven- 
ture, which happened in this county during the Revolu- 
tion. Gen. Washington, and other distinguished Ameri- 
can and British officers were in the borough of Lancaster 
at the period referred to. Though neither battles, nor 
skirmishes took place within the limits of the county, the 
wounded and prisoners here were many. At the battle 
and cannonading of Trenton, December 2G, 177G, many of 

*The quota furnished by Pennsylvania from 1775 to 1783, 
consisted cf 7357 militia and 22,198 continentals. The aggre- 
gate quota by all the states was 234,971 continentals and 56,- 
163 militia— total 279,134. In the year 1776, Pennsylvania fur- 
nished 5,519 continentals and 4,876 militia— total 10,395. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 411 ? 

the Hessians * prisoners taken there, were conveyed to 
Lancaster borough. 

American soldiers were quartered at the barracks and 
other parts of the county during the winter of '77 and 
'78. Both the Lutheran and Reformed church at Man- 
heim were quartered with soldiers. When the battle of 
Brandy wine was fought, September 11th, 1777, many of 
the wounded soldiers were conveyed to Ephrata, where 
about one hundred and fifty of their number, which was 
rising of five hundred, died. 

While General Washington took winter quarters. Gen- 
eral Wayne encamped in this counter, in Mountjoy towr.- 
ship, where his men endured no small degree of suffering, 
as appears from the following letters, from the General 
to his excellency, Thomas Wharton, Esq., at Lancaster : 

*In 1775, the British King entered into treaties with some of 
the German princes for about seventeen thousand men, who 
were sent to America early in 1776, to assist in subduing the 
colonies. Among these were the Hessians, who had been 
taken at Trenton and conveyed as prisoners to Lancaster. At 
the close of the Revolution many of them remained and in- 
termarried with German and English families, whose descend- 
ants are respectable, and some of the best citizens. 

In September, 1843, we visited one of the German mercene- 
ries, living at Millport, Warwick township; a Mr. Jacob Ha- 
genberger, who according to his own statement, was born March 
3d, 1750, arrived at Quebeck, March 5, 1775. He belonged to 
Captain Schachter's company ; he was taken prisoner at the 
surrender of General Burgoyne, October 17, 1777; taken to 
the barracks near Boston, thence to "Winchester, Virginia, 
thence to Reading, and lastly to Lancaster, where, on the 
close of the war, he was sold for eighty dollars, for the term of 
nearly three years to Captain Jacob Zimmerman, of Earl 
township. Hagenberger is now in his 94th year. His healtli 
15 good and memory remarkable. • 



/\ 



412 HISTORY or 

To his excellency, Thomas Wharton, Esq. 

Mountjoy, 28th Dec, 1777.* 

Dear sir; — I was favored with yours of the 12th 
instant, but the enemy being then out, prevented me from 
acknowledging it sooner. 

I can't help expressing both surprise and concern, at 
the councils directing the clothing collected in this state 
into the hands of the Clothier general- — especiahy after 
being informed that the other states were collecting 
clothing for the use of their troops ; clothing for the 
Eastern troops has actually arrived — they are now com- 
fortable, whilst ours are perishing. 

His excellency is also informed that Governor Henry 
of Virginia, has ordered on clothing for the troops of that 
state, which he expects every hour. 

Thus sir, whilst other states are exerting every power 
(under a resolve of Congress) to provide for their own 
troops only — you are following the generous course of 
providing for the whole — this sir, is being generous out 
of time — it is an old adage, that a man ought to be just^ 
l>efore he can be permitted to be generous — the case 
applies in full force here. Supply the immediate wants 
of your own troops first — then give scope to your 
generosity. 

Enclosed is an estimate of the cost of 650 suits of 
uniform, which Mr. Zantzinger has provided for the 
troops of that state. He is in great want of money. I 

* Secretary's Office, Harrisburg, Oct. 11, 1843. 

Mr. I. D. Rupp— Sir: Your letter of the 9th instant was re* 
eeived, and in reply I would inform you that it appears from 
the letters you mentioned, that General Wayne Tiad his camp 
fftMountjoy, in Lancastcf county, during the winter of 1777 
jtnd 1778. Very respectfully, yours, 

Chas. M'Clure. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 413 

wish you would assist, him to the cash he wants, and to 
take some effectual method to clothe the troops in the best, 
speediest, and neatest manner possible. Lest you should 
be under a deception with regard to the mode in which 
tlie clothing in the hands of the Clothier general is dis- 
tributed, I am to inform you that they are delivered in 
proportion to their wants (or in plain English) to the 
number of men in each regiment throughout the army. 

Judge how far inadequate our proportion must be to 
our wants, whilst the troops from other states have an 
equal dividend in addition to their other supplies. 

At this inclement season, one third of our troops arc 
totally destitute of either shoes, stockings, shirts or 
blankets,* so that unless they receive an immediate 
supply of those necessary articles, sickness, death and 
desertion will be the inevitable consequence. 

I am your excellency's most ob't humble serv't, 

Ant'y Wayne, B. G. 

I have directed Mr. Zantzinger to call on you for 
money. I wish you, to order the clothier general to esti- 
mate the price of the clothing, which, agreeable to a 
resolve of Congress is to be in proportion to the pay of 
the officers and men — the states to be at the loss of the 
surplus. A. W. 

To his excellency, Thomas Wharton, Esq., President 
of Pennsylvania, Lancaster. 

Camp Mountjoy, February, 1778. 
Dear sir : — Enclosed is a list of the officers sent on the 

' *1777, 2d May, Bartram Galbraith, James Crawford, Adam 
Ordt, Robert Thompson, Joshua Elder, Christopher Crawford, 
William Allee, John Hubley, Alexander Lowry, Curtis Grubb, 
Phihp Marsteller, Matthias Slough and Adam Heigart, were 
appointed by the war-oifice, to supply the army with blankets, 
&c. for Lancaster county, Pa. 

35* 



414 HISTORY OF 

recruiting service from my division who, you will see Ibj 
the within instructions, are directed to wait on your ex- 
cellency for recruiting orders. I wish they may meet 
with that success that the exigence of the case 
requires, but I fear that nothing short of a draft will save 
America ; however the effect of a total prohibition of the 
substitute business ought first to be tried. I flatter 
myself that when the people (who used to hire themselves 
as substitutes) once find that no more hundred dollars 
can be had in that way, that they will enlist in the line 
of the continent. 

But I am confident that they never will whilst any 
idea is held up of a family substitute, for it is only 
hiring a man to-day,, and he may be sent to-morrow as 
substitute belonging to my family. 

Will you, and the honorable Council, use 3^our influence 
with the House of Assembly to put this substitute busi- 
ness totally cut of the question, for believe me that the 
salvation of this State depends upon the exertions that 
may be m^ade during the w^inter towards filling the con- 
tinental regiment. 

I wish you to or; er all such recruits as may be enlisted, 
to be completely unifoimcd before they leave Lancaster. 
I also wish that no more cloth be miade up in coats unless 
it be blue ; but that all the rest be made into over-alls 
and vests, except such colors as will admit of being dyed 
blue. The Virginians have received blue cloth suflicient 
for to uniform the whole of their troops, so that I fear 
we shall be eclipsed by all the other states, unless we 
take some pains to give our soldiers an elegant uniform j 
for I do lay it down as a position that the best dressed 
troops will ever be both the healthiest and bravest with 
equal discipline and regimen. 

The Clothier general informed me when I was at Lan- 



LANCASTER COUNTr. 415 

caster, that there were shirts plenty at camp ; I find he 
was mistaken, for altliough some hundreds of our poor 
worthy fellows have not a single rag of a shirt, (but are 
obhged to wear their waistcoats next their skins, and to 
sleep in them at night,) I have not been able to draw a 
single sliirt from the store ; for the want of which our 
men are falling sick in numbers every day — contracting 
vermin, and dying in hospitals, m a condition shocking 
to humanity, and horrid in idea ; for God's sake procure 
a quantity for me, if you strip the Dutchmen for them — ■ 
which I beg your order to camp, together with such other 
clothing as may be ready, with all possible despatch. 
Interim, I am your excellency's most obedient 
And very humble servant, 

Ant'y Wayne. 
To his exceUe7icy Thomas Wharton, Esq, Lancaster : 
Mouotjoy, 27th March, 1776. 

Dear sir : — It's at last concluded to throw the Pennsyl- 
vania troops into one division, after reducing them to ten 
regiments, which I believe will be as many as we can 
fill. I have but httle hopes of being supplied with many 
recruits, unless the officers in the back counties meet with 
more success than those in Philadelphia and Chester ; an 
officer from the latter came in yesterday, after being out 
five weeks, without a single recruit. 

I would beg leave to suggest the expediency of em- 
ploying a greater number of officers on that business in 
Berks, Lancaster, York and Cumberland counties, as the 
most likely places to meet with success. I fear all our 
exertions in this way will fall far short of our wishes, and 
that nothing but a draft will be adequate to the business. 

It's rumored that the enemy have evacuated Rhode 
Island, and are drawing all their force to one focus. If 
this should be the case, as we have grounds to think it is, 



416 HISTORY OF 

they will be too powerful for us in the field, unless great 
and speedy supplies be thrown in. It therefore becomes 
the duty of the state to make an immediate and effectual 
exertion to complete her quota of men ; but whilst this is 
doing, let me entreat you, sir, not to neglect providing 
the linen over-alls and other clothing, to enable us to take 
the field with some eclat, which will add both spirit and 
health to your troops ; for you may rest assured nine out 
of ten deaths and desertions, in this army, are owing to 
dirt and nakedness. 

I have the happiness to inform your excellency that 
the troops of this state enjoy a much greater share of 
health than any other post of the army, and I pledge my 
reputation to keep them so, on condition that I can be 
provided with linen and other clothing. 

It's to you, sir, that we look up to for those matters — 
and in this case we consider you as our conmion father. 
Adieu, my dear sir, and believe me 

Yours, most sincerely, 

Ant'y Wayne. 
To his excellency, Governor Thomas Wharton, Esq.y 

Lancaster : 

Mountjoy, April 10th, 177S. 

Dear sir : — Agreeable to your desire, I have ordered 
up an additional number of recruiting officers, who are 
well recommended for their industry and sobriety, and 
who I wish were tolerated to enlist in any quarter where 
it is most probable they may meet with success ; as con- 
fining them to particular counties will rather retard than 
expedite the recruiting service. I communicated your 
idea to his excellency, of constantly employing some 
officers in that business, in order to keep the regiment 
and corps complete, which meet his warmest approba- 
tion, and he requests, through me, that your excellency 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 417 

^ould adopt so salutary a measure^ as it is of the first 
consequence to have veterans, in place of raw raised 
troops, which will always be the case if the recruiting- 
business is put off till the spring of the year ; and then 
the time is so short ihat we can't hope either to complete 
or maneuvre our corps before they take the field. I 
wish your excellency to order the recruits to be clothed 
ajid appointed before they leave Lancaster, as they can't 
be supplied here, the sixteen additional regiments, and 
the Carolina troops being ordered to be supplied previous 
to any others, so that we have little prospect of receivinsr 
any benefit from the Clothier general's store in this 
quarter; and although tolerable with regard to shoes, 
stockings and hats, we are but wretchedly provided in 
other respects, particularly as to shirts. I do assure your 
excellency that there are near one-third of my men that 
have no kind of shirts under heaven ; and scarcely a 
man in the division with more than one, nor liave I been 
able to draw any during this whole winter. For God's 
sake endeavor to do sometliing for us; the season has 
now arrived that requires every attention to keep the 
troops healt]:iy, and nothing will be more conducive to it 
than clean linen ; in this article we are in a worse con- 
dition than any troops on the ground ; nov/ worse than 
Falstaff's recruits — they had a shirt and a half to a com- 
pany. You will pardon me for dwelling so long on this: 
subject, but upon my soul I cannot help it ; my feelings 
as a man are so much iiurt by the complainings and 
misery of the poor fellows, ivho have no shirts at all, 
that I can have no peace of mind until they are provided. 
A quantity of superfine cloth, and about 12 or 1500 
yards of linens and cloths were purchased by Colonel 
Miller, and left in the hands of Mr. Jacob Eichelberger 
at York; for the use of our troops ; will you be kind 



418 HISTORY OP 

enough to order Mr. Howell to send for it, lest other 
troops should receive the benefit of that which we are so 
much in want of. 

A woman who has been in Philadelaphia for three or 
four days, and this moment returned, says that the gen- 
eral report there is, that in the course of two weeks the 
enemy intend to take the field ; but at the quarters of 
some principal oflicers tiiey have frequently been over- 
heard talking in a desponding style, and that they can't 
move until they receive reinforcements, with severe 
sarcasms against their generals. Who they wish to be 
reralled, and who I hope will not, until we have an 
opportunity to Burgoyne him ; but this will depend upon 
the exertion of the states; at present he out numbers us, 
and by the last accounts New England is so absorbed in 
accumulating wealth, that they have become totally 
insensible to our sufferings and danger, and sunk into a 
torpid supineness, from which it is difficult to rouse them. 
I am your excellency's most obedient 

And very humble servant. 
By order of General Wayne. 

Ben. Fishburn, A. D. C. 
To his excellency Thomas Wharton, Esq., Lancaster : 

Mountjoy, 16th April, 1778. 
Dear sir : — Mr. Donaldson of York, who will deliver 
you this letter, has been kind enough to offer his services 
in procuring shirts for our troops. He thinks that he 
could supply us with three or four hundred in a week, 
and that he has linnen now on hand sufficient to make 
six hundred, and that he can procure a large quantity if 
properly empowered and supplied with cash. 

The necessitous situation of our troops, for want of 
shirts, justify any manner, and requires every exertion to 
procure our immediate supply. 



LANCASTlSR COUNTY. 419 

1 therefore wish your excellency to give Mr. Donald- 
son power for that purpose. We shall certainly want in 
the whole 9000 shirts, and 9000 pair of overalls. 

I herewith transmit you the returns of the two Brigades 
of Pennsylvania troops, under my command — the sick 
now in company contained in the returns, have been laid 
up for want of clothing, except in a few instances ; there 
is scarcely one of them that has a shirt. I shall order a 
general return of the whole Pennsylvania line to be made 
out, which I shall transmit next week. 
Interim I am with every esteem, 
Your excellency's most obedient 
And very humble servant, 

Ant'y Wayne. 
To his excellency Thomas Wharton^ Esq. ^ Lancaster : 

Mouiitjoy, 18th April, 1778. 

Dear sir : — Colonel Butler of the 9th Pennsylvania regi- 
ment, among other business, wants clothing for his regi- 
ment. I wish him to be indulged if it can be done without 
prejudice to the other part of the line. 

I have procured from Mr. Zantzinger, since November 
last, about five hundred and fifty coats, two hundred 
waistcoats, three hundred and eighty pair of breeches, 
and an equal number of stockings, about one hundred 
pair of shoes, and several hundred hats ; these have been 
distributed among nine regiments, and has only in part 
clothed about one fourth of them. All the clothing as 
yet furnished by this state, has been distributed between 
the 3d, 6th, 9th, 12th and 13th, which I believe is rather 
more than came to the share of the other nine. I there- 
fore wish all such clothing as may be ready to be sent 
together, and I will undertake to sec impartial justice 
done to the whole, for I believe no one at present is 
better off for them than another, except Colonel Stewart 



•420 HISTORY OF 

and Colonel Hartly, which are well clothed ; most of the 
others are in a wretched condition. 

I am your excellency's humble servant, 

Ant'y Wayne. 

Fearful their deliberations might be interrupted, while 
in session at Philadelphia, Congress resolved to remove 
from Philadelphia. " On the 18th of September, 1777^ 
Congress sat as usual, and after having fulfilled the regu- 
lar hours of daily service, adjourned to 10 o'clock the 
next morning, but during the adjournment the president 
received a letter from Colonel Hamilton, one of General 
Washington's aids, which intimated the necessity of Con- 
gress leaving their place of deliberation. The members 
resolved at once to repair to Lancaster, where they 
arrived on the 27th of September, the very day when 
Sir William Howe entered Philadelphia, and took peace- 
able possession of it. 

The treasury books, papers, money, &c. v/ere carried 
from Philadelphia to Bristol, ihence by Receding to Lan- 
caster. This circuitous route was to avoid faiUng into 
the hands of the enen:iy, who were at that time still in 
Chester county, where, a few days previous, the battle of 
Bxandy wine had been fought. 

Congress met, but fearful tliat Lancaster was too easily 
accessible to the enemy, they determined the broad Sus- 
quehanna should flow between them and the enemy. — 
They adjourned the same day of their first meeting to 
York. The first day of their session at York was the 
30th September, 1777 ; here Congress remained till June 
27, 1778, when they adjourned to meet at the State House 
in Philadelphia."-'^ 

Though the conflict continued long, the ardor of the 
citizens of Lancaster county did not abate in opposing 

*His. Yurk county. 



LANCASTER COtJNTr. 421 

eftcroachments upon their rights, no matter from what 
■source they anticipated tliem. Action, vigilance and 
union of efforts, seemed to have been their motto on all 
occasions of apprehended or real danger. 

A circular was issued at Hanover, now Dauphin 
county, November 28, 17S2, calling a meeting at JNIan- 
heim, to take into consideration measures touching their 
jeoparded liberties, as it was then thought. We give tho 
circular and proceedings : 

Dear sir: — ^The officers and representatives of the ninth 
battalion of Lancaster couity militia, upon consu tation, 
have concluled from the present complexion of the 
present House of Assembly, tliat the constitution and 
hberty of the State are at stake in some measure; and 
sensible of the importance of what has caused us so nuich 
blood and treasure, we have thought it incu.nbent upon 
113 to exart ourselves for their preservation, as far as our 
influence extends, and to warn all who wou'd wish to be 
free from the dangers that seem to impend, not douSting 
at the same time but you are ready to take the alarm, as 
you must be sensible of the same danger. 

We do not think it necessary to mn'.tiply words, tending 
to inspire your spirit, for we are of opinion you possess 
the same, and have been on'-j waiting to know the senti- 
ments of your fellow friends of Liberty. Let us not 
then coo!ly and simply suffer any of our riglits to be 
taken from us by any m^en, especially as our constitu-ion 
invests us with full power to oppose any such attempt. — 
Perhaps our fears are g"ou,idless ; but in case of appar- 
ent danger, which undoubtedly is our present rase, a vviso 
man will be on hisguird; and therefore let us meet at 
Manheim, oii the 15th day of Januiry next, in order that 
we may mutUAlly contrive such measures as may have a 

36 



422 HISTORY OP 

tendency to preserve our good and inestimable constitu- 
rtion, and our dear Independence and sweet Liberty. 
Be active and do not fail to fulfil our request. 

John Rogers, Colonel. 
To the Colonels of Lancaster county militia, 
Hanover, November 28th, 1782. 

Militia Meeting. 

Present : Colonel Thomas Edwards, colonel Ziegler, 
colonel Lowry, majors Cook, Kelly, Hays and Hare, 
colonel Ross, Mr. Chambers, captain Ewing, captain J. 
Hubley, colonel Rogers., Mr. Clark, captain Laird, colo- 
nel Elder. 

On motion, colonel Rogers was unanimously chosen 
chairman, and captain Joseph Hubley, secretary. 

Colonel Rogers made a neat and appropriate speech, 
explaining the objects of the meeting, that a rumor was 
in circulation calculated to do much injury: " That the 
President^ of the State of Pennsylvania was hostile 
io the independence of Ainerica.^^ 

On motion, this question was put to each battalion : Is 
it the opinion of the members present, that they approve 
of the appointment of John Dickinson, Esq. as President 
of the State of Pennsylvania, or not ? Jlnswer : The 
members of the second battalion are of opinion that a 
better choice of a President could not be made. 

Colonel Ziegler, same opinion; seventh battalion, same; 
eighth battalion, same ; ninth battalion : we hope the 

♦The persons who presided over the Executive council of 
Pennsylvania, from 1779 to 1790, were styled Presidents. The 
first under the constitution of 1779, was Thomas Wharton ; 
second, Joseph Read; third, John Dickinson; fourth, Benja- 
min Franklin ; lifth, Thomas Mifflin. In 1790, a new constitu- 
tion was adopted. Thomas Mifflin was elected governor, Octo- 
ber 12th 1790. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 425 

Assembly have made a good choice, and if they have we 
thank them. Colonel Elder agrees in opinion with the 
ninth. 

Resolved, unanimously, That the people have a right 
to assemble together for their common good, to instruct 
our Representatives, and to apply to the Legislature for 
redress of grievances, by address, petition, or remon- 
strance. 

Resolved, unanimously. That in opinion of the deputies 
from the different battalions now met, that the complex- 
ion of the present House of Assembly is such that we 
have no reason to doubt that the independence and con- 
stitution of this state are safe, and that we highly approve 
of his excellency, John Dickinson, Esq. as President. 

Resolved, unanimously. That we approve of colonel 
Rogers calling this meeting, as it has tended to remove 
doubts and unjust charges that were in circulation to the- 
disadvantage of his excellency, the President of this state, 
and two of our members of Congress, James Wilson and 
John Montgomery, Esquires; and we conceive such, 
meetings have a tendency to suppress false and malicious 
reports, and that thereby virtue may meet with its just 
reward, and vice be depicted in its true deformity. 

Signed, John Rogers, chairman. 

J. HuBLEY, secretary. 

Manheim, June 15th, 1783. 

For the want of space, we are obliged to close, imper- 
fect as it is, the sketch of some of those incidents which 
occurred in this county during the Revolution, by noti- 
cing some of the surviving Revolutionary soldiers, natives 
of this county. 

Still a few of the patriotic Revolutionary veterans are 
living. Of this number is Mr. Philip Meek, of West 
Lampeter township, now in his 87th year. At the age 



424 HISTORY OP 

of nineteen, he entered under Captain George Grove, th« 
service of his country. He belonged to the "Flying 
Camp," estabhshed on a resolution of Congress, passed 
June 3, 1776, and consisted of ten thousand militia, 
whereof Pennsylvania furnished 6,000, Maryland 3,400, 
and Delaware 600. Meek was in several engage- 
ments. He was in the bloody engagement on Long 
Island, August 27, 1776, where Lord Percy and Grant 
commanded the British and Hessians, and a division of 
the American army was commanded by General Putnam, 
At the White Plains, October 28, 1776, and at Fort Wash- 
ington, November 1776. It was here Hezekiah Davis, 
one of the lieutenants in the Flying camp of Pennsylva- 
nia, was made prisoner, and held in captivity till Decem- 
ber, 1780. After this engagement, M. went to New 
Brunswick, and at the expiration of his tour of six 
months, was dismissed. The sufferings he endured were 
many ; and it is remarkable to see him now, far advan- 
ced in life, to enjoy unusual health, and the full possession, 
of all his mental faculties. Mr. Meek was born in Lan- 
caster county. 

John Gantner, born in Lancaster, July 4th, 1761. At 
the age of 17 enlisted in the service of the state of Penn- 
sylvania, under the command of Captain John Hubley ; 
under whose command he marched to Sliamokin, and 
several other places. After sustaining the hardships of a 
winter campaign, he returned to Lancaster and was dis- 
charged. He afterward joined Colonel Armand's corps; 
was two years in the sei vice of his country as a United 
States regular, and after many skirmishes, fatiguing 
marches, &c. he was honorably discharged. ]\lr. Gant- 
ner was a private in Captain Sharp's company of 
dragoons, and was on liis march to Yorktown, v/hen 
intelligence was received of the capture of Lord Corn- 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 425 

wallis ; they did not proceed to the place of destination. 

George Leonard, also a native of this county, born 
September 13, 1758, enlisted in 1776 under Captain Mat- 
thew M'Donald in Philadelphia, having, however, served 
nearly two months before as a militia man. He was 
nearly three years in the service, and in several battles, 
viz : at Trenton, Germantown, Princeton. 

JPeter Mauerer, born June 13. 1757, volunteered in 
1776, under Captain John Henry, went to Philadelphia, 
Trenton, and Elizabethtown, N. J. After a tour of two 
months, he returned to Lancaster, and late in the fall, 
under his former captahi, went to Pliiladelphia, thence to 
Burhngton, Trenton and Elizabethtown, where they 
united with the main army in winter quarters — helped to 
build a fort. After serving a second tour, returned to 
Lancaster, and aided in guarding Hessian and otlier pris- 
oners, where rising of two thousand were kept. When 
the Hessian prisoners were taken to New York to be 
exchanged for American prisoners, Peter Mauerer was 
one of those who accompanied them. He saw Washing- 
ton and La Fayette frequently during the war; and in 
1824 dined with La Fayette at Lancaster. 

Peter Shindle, born April 29th, 1760, was also in the 
Revolutionary service. He Avent in the capacity of a 
fifer, in July 1776, under Captain Andrew Graaf, of Colo- 
nel George Ross' regiment; and in September, 1777, 
under Captain Stoever, of Greenawalt's regiment. He 
was promoted to brigade fife major. lie was present at 
the battle of Brandywine and Germantown. He went 
out a third time under Captain William Wertz ; and in 
1778, he volunteered to aid taking the Hessian prisoners 
of Lancaster to Philadelphia, in Captain App's company. 

Jacob Hoover, of the city of Lancaster, enUsted in the 
war of the Revolution in the year 1776, under captain 

35* 



426 



HISTORY OP 



Bull of Carlisle ; and was in the battle of Long Island, 
August, 1776; battle of Brandywine, Germantown, 
Trenton and Monmouth, and several small skirmishes, 
and was regularly discharged in the year 1779, in Phila- 
delphia. 

In a preceding part of our book, we noticed David 
Dieffenderfer and others. See page 207. 

Notes. — The winter of 1780, is denominated the " The Hard 
Winter.^'' Ice was from 16 to 19 inches thick — frost penetrated, 
the ground from 4 to 5 feet. During this winter the ears of the 
horned cattle, and the feet of hogs exposed to the air, were 
frostbitten. Squirrels perished in their holes, and partiiges 
were often found dead. — Haz. 2; 379. 

In 1781, Methodist ministers first visited Lancaster county ; 
and in 1782, what was then called "Lancaster circuit," was 
formed, and the Rev. William Partridge appointed to it as 
minister. It then contained seventy members of society ; the 
Methodist Episcopal Church not yet having been organized. — • 
Among the early ministers who preached in the county, may 
be named : Reverends William Glendening, W. Jesup, Isaac 
Roberts* n, W. Munter, J. P. Chandler and ISimon Miller, a 
native of the county. — Goheen. 

In 1782, John F. MifTliniJohn Wilks lOUera-'and George 
Thompson, were admitted at ttlFTSForTTan caster, to practice 
law. 

Members ( f Assembly for Lancaster county f(!r 1777 : — Cur- 
tis Grubb, Matthias Slough, George Ross and Jam.es Webb. 
1778, John Gillchri^t. Curtis Grubb, Alexander Lowrey, John 
Smiley, James Anderson, William Broun. 1779, James A.n- 
dersor, Jihn Smiley, John Gillcluist, Christopher Kucher, 
James Cuinjngham, William Brown, sen., Emanuel Carpen- 
ter, jr., William Purler. 1780. John Wl.itehill, Emanuel Car- 
penter, Jacob Cook, Christopher Kucher, James Anderson, 
Adam Reigart, James Ccvvden, Alexander Lowrey, Matthias 
Slough, James Jacks. 1781, John Whitehill, Christopher 
Kucher, J«cob Co('k, Jaci b Carpenter, Abraham Scott, Jcunes 
Jack^ JM;i1tl ias Slough, W^illic.m Brown, Jacib Krug, James 
Mercer, James Porter. rib2, Juseph Montgomery, Clnisto- 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 427 

pher Kncher, John Whitebill, Samuel John Atlee, Abraham 
Scott, James Jacks, John Craig, Matthias Slough, Curtis Grubb, 
William Brown, James Mercer. 1783, Abraham Scott, William 
Brown, James Merser, John Craig, Matthias Slough, Joseph 
Work, Adam Orth, Adam Hubley, Jacob Cook, William Parr, 
Robert Coleman. 



CHAPTER X. 

Lancaster count}'- after the Revolution — Germans, and those of German 
extracti:)n ; views on education — Franklin College estaMislieJ— First 
board of Trustees — Reichenbach ; New Jerusalem ('liurch ; the twelve 
articles received by that church — Improvements great in the county — 
Columbia laid out— Lancaster city, seat of government — Late war; 
means of Lancaster county — Notes of variety. 

Lancaster county, in common with other counties of 
this state, and the United States in general, during the 
struggle of the Revolurion, paid but little attention to 
endowing and sustaining schools of advanced standing. 
In this cotmty, education for many years fell far short of 
the wealth and leisure the citizens had to bestow upon 
the education of their so is and daughters, beyond that of 
a common school education. The citizens of this cotmty, 
principally Germans, have always entertained peculiar 
views touching "college learning;" they ever preferred 
bemg taxed to make ample provision for the erection of 
poorhousis and hospitals, and the maintenance of tlie 
unfortu.iate and poor, and cheerfully to pay towards 
educatii]g the cliiidren cf the indigent, than to aid in 
building college edifices, and endowing professorships. — 
Shortly after the close of the Revolution, the subject cf 
education in this county received a new impulse. 

In the year 1787, a number of citizens of this state, of 
German birth and extraction, in conjunction with ethers^ 



428 HISTORY OF 

from a desire to increase and perpetuate the blessings 
derived to them from the possession of property and a 
free government, appKed to the Legislature for a charter 
of incorporation and a donation of lands, for the purpose 
of establishing and endowing a college and charity school 
m the borough of Lancaster. Their petition was granted ; 
a board of trustees, as a corporate body, was established, 
styled, in honor of his excellency, Benjamin Franklin, 
Esq., " The trustees of Franklin college, in the borough 
and county of Lancaster.'''' 

The first board of trustees were : the honorable Thomas 
Mifflin, Hon. Thomas M'Kean, Rev. John H. C. Hel- 
muth. Rev. Casper Weiburg, Rev. Henry Muhlenberg, 
Rev. William Hendell, Rev. Nicholas Kurz, Rev. George 
Troldiener, Rev. John Herbst, Rev. Joseph Hutchins, 
Rev. Fred. Weyland, Rev. Albertus Helfenstein, Rev. W. 
Ingold, Rev. Jacob Van Buskirk, Rev. Abraham Blumer, 
Rev. Fred. Dalecker, Rev. C. E. Schultz, Rev. F. V. 
Mehzheimer, Messrs. John Hubley, Joseph Hicster, Cas- 
per Schaffner, Peter Hooffnagle, Christopher Crawford, 
Paul Zantzinger, Adam Hubley, Adam Reigart, Jasper 
Yeates, Stephen Chambers, Robert Morris, George Cly- 
mcr, Philip Wagner, William Bingham, W^illiam Hamil- 
ton, Wilham Rawle, Lewis Farmer, Christopher Kucher, 
Philip Groenwaldt, Michael Hahn, George Stake, sen., 
John JMusser. 

Franklin college was located in North Queen street, 
known for many years as ^'The old storehouse," now 
as "Franklin row.* The college was opened for the 
instruction of youth, in the German, English, Latin, 
Greek and other learned languages; in Tlieology, and in 
the useful arts, sciences and literature. It remained in a 

*Thc compiler occupies (1843) one of the apartments of 
"Franklin row." 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 429 

flourishing condition for several years ; owing, however^ 
to some defect in the charter, and the pecuniary resources 
of the trustees faihng, it was suspended.* 

Among the first teachers of tliis institution was William 
Reichenbach, a native of Saxony, a man of classical 
attainments. In 1785, he left Germany; immediately ou 
his arrival at Lancaster, was appointed professor of 
mathematics and German literature. About the same 
time Henry Von Buelow, a native of Prussia, a German 
nobleman, who had in his juvenile years adopted the 
military profession, visited America and spent some time 
in Lancaster. Buelow had embraced the peculiar views 
of Em. Swedenborgjt and with a view to disseminate: 

•See chapter XI on education. 

jThese views being so peculiar and not generally known,, 
we here devote a small space to presenting the leadiiig doc- 
trines of the New Jerusalem Church. The founder (jf this 
church was Emanuel Swedenborg, son of a bishop of Skara, 
Emanuel was born 1689, at Stockholm. He was, it is admitted 
t>y all, a learned and pious man. He died in 1772. 

The following twelve articles are received by the New Jeru- 
salem church : 

I. That Jehovah God, the Creatorand Preserver of heavea 
and earth, is Love Itself and Wisdom Itself, or Good Itself and 
Truth Itself: That he is One both in Essence and in Person, 
in v/hom, nevertheless, is the Divine Trinity of Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit, which are the Essential Diviiiity, the Divi^ie- 
Humanity, and the Divine Proceeding, answering to t!ie soul, 
the body, and the operative energy in man: And that the 
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is that God. 

II. That Jehovah God himself descended from heaven, as 
Divine Truth, which is the Word, and took upon him Human 
Nature for the purpose of removing from man the power of 
hell, and restoring to order all things in the spiritual world, and 
all things in the church: That he removed from man the 
powers of hell, by combats against and victories over them ; 
in which consisted the great work of Jledemptiun: That by 



430 HISTORY OF 

them, he brought with him, from Europe, a number of 
New Ciuu'ch works, for gratuitous distribution, and f )r 
sale. Roichenbach, on examining the doctrines, embra- 
ced and avowed thoni openly, lie atterwards pubhshed 
several works on the doctrines of tlie New Church. One 
cntitk^d ,ig-af/)o?), published in EngUsh and German, 
which was tavorably received. 

From the eliorts of Von Ikieknv. who afterwards re- 

thc same acts, which were his temptations, the last of which 
was the passion of the cro-s, he united, in his Humanity, Divine 
Truth to Divine Good, or Divine Wisdom to Divine Love, and 
so returned into his Divinity in which he was from eternity, 
together with, and in, his Gkiritied humanity ; whence he for- 
ever keeps the internal powers in subjection to himseh: And 
that all who believe in him, with the understanding, from tlie 
heart, and live accordingly, will be saved. 

III. That the Sacred Scripture, or Word of God, is Divine 
Truth Dsell": containing a Spiritual Sense heretofore un- 
known, whence it is divinely inspired and holy in every syl- 
lable ;, as well as a Literal Sense, which is the basis of its 
Spiritual Sense, and in which Divine Truth is in its fulness, its 
sanctity, and its power: thus that it is accommodated to the 
apprehension both of angels and men: That tlie spiritual and 
natural senses ar.i united, by correspondences, like soul and 
body, every natural expression and image answering to, and 
including, a spiritual and divine idea: And thus that the 
Word is the medium of communication with heaven, and of 
conjunction with the Lord. 

IV. That the government of the Lord's Divine Love and 
Wisdom is the Divine Providence; which is universal, exer- 
cised according to certain fixed laws of Order, and extending 
to the minutest particulars of the life of all men, both of the 
good and of the evil: That in all its operations it has respect 
to what is infinite and eternal, and makes no account of things 
transitory but as they are subservient to eternal ends; thus, that 
it mainly consists, with man, in the connection of things tem- 
poral with things eternal; for that the continual aim of the 
Lord, by his Divine Providence, is to join man to himself and 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 43l 

turned to Europe, there arose a small band of brothers^ 
about the year 1788, who liold the peculiar views of 
baron Sw(^denborg; among the first, besides count Jiuelow 
and Reichenbacli, in tliis county, who were receivers of* 
the doctrines of the New Jerusalem Church, were Fran- 
cis Bailey and family, Mr. Eckstein, Jacob Carpenter, the 
intimate friend of Buelow, Frederick Damish, a Saxon, a 
teacher of music. There still exists in this county, a respect- 

himself to man, that he may be able to give him the fohcitics 
of eternal life: And that the laws of permission arc also laws 
of the Divine Providence; since evil cannot be prevented 
"VTithout destroying the nature of man as an accountable agent; 
and because, also, it cannot be removed unless it be known, 
and cannot be known unless it appear: Thus, that no evil is 
permitted but to prevent a greater; and all is overruled, by 
the Lf)rd's Divine Providence, for the greatest possible good. 

V. That man is not life, but is only a recipient of life from 
the Lord, who, as he is Love Itself and Wisdom Itself, is also 
Life Itself; which life is communicated by influx to all in the 
spiritual world, whether belonging to heaven or to hell, and to 
all in the natural world; but is received differently by every 
one, according to his quality and consequent state of re- 
ception. 

VI. That man, during his abode in the world, is, as to his 
spirit, in the midst between heaven and hell, acted upon by 
influences from both, and thus is kept in a slate of spiritual 
equilibrium between good and evil; in consequence of which 
he enjoys free-will, or freedom of choice, in spiritual things 
as well as in natural, and possesses the capacity of either 
turning himself to the Lord and his kingdom, or turning him- 
self away from the Lord, and connecting himsjlf with the 
kingdom of darkness : And that, unless man had such free- 
dom of choice, the Word would be of no use, the Church 
would be a mere name, man would possess nothing by virtue 
of which he could be conjoined to the Lord, and the cause of 
evil would be chargeable on God himself. 

VII. That man at this day is born into evil of all kinds, or 
with tendencies towards it: That, therefore, in order to his 



432 HISTORY OS' 

able number of receivers and embracers of tlie New Churcll 
doctrines. In point of intellect and activity, unsurpassed 
by the same number, who, though few, did, unaided by 
other rehgious denominations, purchase a lot of ground 
in Lancaster city, and erected a neat New Jerusalem 
temple, in 1837, in which stated meetings for religious 
exercises are held. The exercises are conducted by a lay 
member elected for that purpose. The sacraments are 

entering the kingdom of heaven, he must be regenerated or 
created anew ; which great work is ett'ected in a progressive 
manner, by the Lord alone, by charity and faith as mediums, 
during man's co-{tperd ion : That as all men are redeemed, 
all are capable (jf being regenerated, and consequently saved, 
every oiitj according to his state: And that the regenerate 
man is in communion with the angels of heaven, and the un- 
regenerate with ti,e spi its of hell : But that no one is con- 
demned for hereditary evil, any further than as he makes it 
his own by actual life ; whe ce all who die in infancy are 
saved, special means being provided by the Lurd in the other 
life for that purpose. 

VI 11. That Repentance is the first beginning of the Church 
in man ; and that it consists in a man's examining himself, 
both in regard to his deeds and his intentions, in knowing and 
ackiiowledging his sins, confessing them bef )re the Lord, sup- 
plicating him f 'raid, and beginning a new life: That to this 
end, ali evils, whether of affection, of thought, or of life, are 
to be abhorred and shunned as sins against G«id, and because 
they proceed from infernal spirits, who in the aggregate are 
called the Devil and Satan ; and that good affections, good 
thoughts, and good actions, are to be cherished and performed, 
because they are of God and from (rod: That these things are 
to be dv/ue by man as of himself; nevertheless, under the ac- 
knowledgment and belief, that it is from the Lord, operating in 
him and by him : That so far as man shuns evils as sins, so 
far they are removed, remitted, or forgiven ; so tar also he does 
good, not from himself, but fr*;m the Lord; and in the same 
degree he loves truth, has faith, and is a spiritual man: And 
that the Decalogue teaches what evils arc sins. 



LAIJCASTER COUNTY. 433 

^administered by a regularly ordained minister, who visits 
the congregation as often as the wants of the church 
demand. 

From and after the year 1785, Lancaster county began 
to improve rapidly, towns in various parts of the county 
were laid out. Samuel Wright laid out the town of Co- 
lumbia in 1787, and in a few years afterwards others 
were laid out. Agriculture and commerce prospered. — 

IX. That Charity, Faith, and Good Works, are unitedly ne* 
cessary to man's salvation ; since charity, without faith, is not 
spiritual, but natural; and faith, without charity, is not living, 
but dead ; and both charity and faith, without good works, are 
merely mental and perishable things, because without use or 
fixedness: And that nothing of faith, of charity, or of good 
works, is of man ; but that all is of the Lord, and all the merit 
is his alone. 

X. That Baptism and the Holy Supper are sacrp.ments of 
divine instiiution, and are to be permanently observed ; Bap- 
tism being an external medium of introduction into the Church, 
and a sign representative of man's purification and regenera- 
tion ; and the Holy Supper being an external medium, to those 
who receive it worthily, of introduction, as to spirit, into 
heaven, and of conjunction with the Lord ; of which also it is 
a sign and seal. 

XL That immediately after death, which is only a putting off 
•of the material body, never to be resumed, man rises again in 
a spiritual or substantial body, in which he continues to live to 
eternity ; in heaven, if his ruling affections, and thence his 
life, have been good ; and in hell, if his ruling affections, and 
thence his life, have been evil. 

Xn. That Now is the time of the Second Advent of the 
Lord, which is a Coming, not in Person, but in the power and 
glory of his Holy Word : That it is attended, like his lirst 
Coming, wiih the restoration to order of all things in the spiri- 
tual world, where the wonderful divine operation, commonly 
expected under the name of the Last Judgment, has in conse- 
quence been performed ; and with the preparing of the way 
for a New Church on the earth, — the first Christian Church 

37 



434 srsfoti-r OF 

All was tranquility till 1794, when the Whiskey insxtrrec- 
tion took place in the western part of Pennsylvania; 
many in this county began to fear that the stability of our 
government was not immovable, but their apprehensions. 
Were removed before the expiration of that year. From 
that period down to the present, there is little of special 
interest in the history of the county that is not common 
to the adjacent and even more distant counties of the 
state, except that Lancaster city was the capital of the 
state from December 1799, till 1812, when the seat of 
government was removed to Harrisburg. Tlie law for 
locating the seat of government at the latter place, was 
approved 21st February, IS 10 ; and the offices were re- 
moved from J^ancaster 12th October, 1812. The com- 
missioners for that purpose were Robert Harris, George 
Hoyer, George Ziegler. 

During the late war of 1612, '13, '14, no county in the 
state was more ready to meet the exigencies of the times 
than the mihtia and volunteers of Lancaster county. — 
Companies were raised, and prepared to confront the 
haughty invaders of our countiy^, and effectually to curb 
the proud Britons in their headlong course against our 
common country. 

Lancaster county, though of limited territory, has all 

having spiritually come to its end or consuinmation, through 
evils of life and errors of doctrine, as foretold by the Lord in 
the Gospels: And that this New or Second Christian Church, 
which will be the Crown of all Churches, and will stand for 
ever, is what was representatively seen by John, when he 
beheld the holy city, New Jerusalem, dcscendiugfrom God out 
of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 

^he writings of Swedenborg, in German, English and 
French, and other New Church publications, can be had at 
their Book Depository, kept by F. J. Kkabu'ii, merchant tailor, 
Lancaster, Pa. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 435 

the elements, natural, physical, moral and intellectual, if 
these are properly cultivated, to secure to itself a niche of 
distinction in the Keystone State. 

Notes. — The winter of 1784, was considered one of the 
hardest winters for forty years. The same year there was a 
high flood of the Susquehanna. 

Travelling in 1784. This year Frederick SchaefFer establish- 
ed a travelling accommodation stage, which occupied three 
days in returning to and from Philadelphia. 

In 1792 the turnpike from Lancaster to Philadelphia, 62 miles 
in length, was commenced, and finished in 1794 — cost ^465,000; 
at about $7,.516 per mile. 

Population of Lancaster county in 1790. Free white male 
persons of 16 years and upwards, including heads of families, 
9,713; free white males under 16 years, 8,070; free white 
females, including heads of families, 17,471; all other free 
persons, 545; slaves, 348 — total 30,179. 

Members of Assembly from Lancaster county : — 1789, James 
Clemson, John Hopkins, Henry Dering, James Cunningham, 
Jacob Erb, John Miller. 1790, James Cunningham, William 
Wel^b, Abraham Carpenter, Jacob Erb, John Breckbill. 



436 HISTORY oy 



CHAPTER XI. 



Education: — Preliminary remarks; Importance of general educatiori— - 
Views of the colonists — Mennonitcs' views of education — Scotch-IrisU 
settlers, made at first little preparation^ &c. till 1798 — First schools in the 
town of Lancaster — Lutheran and German Reformed churches have 
schools under their auspices — Rev. M. Schlatter indefatigable in his efforts to 
establish schools — Extract from Coetuale proceedings of 1760 — Trustees 
and managers of public schools — Germans patriotic, modest and unas- 
suming, <S:c. — Ludwig Hacker estabhshes a Sabbath school at Ephrata — 
German classical school at Ephrata — Academy at Ephrata — Acaxlemy at 
Litiz — Select Academy at Jjancastcr — Franklin college, &c. — Pri\ate 
schools and acadamies in various sections of the county — An act for the 
education of children in the borough of Lcneaster — The Mechanics' So- 
ciety —Classical Academy ; Lancaster County Ar ademy ; Classical Acad- 
emies in the county — Seminaries; Cijimmon Schools; Sabbath Schools, 
Lyceums, &c. 

The permanency of all R.epiiblics, depends upon the en- 
lightenment of the people. As education is therefore encour- 
aged or neglected, so will their foundations be sure and stable, 
or loose and unsettled ; and it is difficult to say, whether in 
their moral relations or political privileges, this truth is most 
self-evident. The certainty, stability and perpetuity of a re- 
publican government, with all its vast machinery of offices and 
officers, such as the efficient administration of the government 
by the Executive, the judicious and wholesome exercise of its 
powers by the Legislature, the prompt and energetic adminis- 
tration of justice by faithful Judges, and above all, the just de- 
termination of the rights of parties by impartial Jurors, must 
depend alone upon the people. There is no other foundation 
upon which the structure can rest. This constitutes its chief 
excellence, its greatest strengih. 

In a government then such as ours, based as it is upon ac- 
knowledged democratic principles, in the theory and practice 
of which, it is admitted that the people are the source of all 
power, making and unmaking at stated intervals all their func- 
tionaries, from the Chief magistrate of the nation, down to tUe 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 437 

humblest officer created by a Borough charter, the necessity of 
having that same people educated, will not for a moment be 
questioned. For, as they are enlightened or unenlightened, so 
will their government be elevated in character, or depressed 
in a corresponding degree. Called upon as they are, to the 
frequent exercise of the elective franchise, and thus necessarily 
to judge of men and measures, their course of action must be 
determined, either by each man's own personal examination 
into the character of the one, and a careful investigation into 
tiie propriety or expediency of the other, or else it must be 
suggested and fixed by the advice and opinions of others. And 
what a prolific source of abuse is this. Il is seldom indeed 
that such advice is honest, for the most part it is the gratuitous 
offering of interested men. How shall those whose minds are 
obscured by the clouds of ignorance, be capable of discrimina- 
ting bstv/een the correctness and incorrectness of questions 
of public policy 1 How shall they judge between the patriot 
and the ambitous, self-aggrandizing demagogue'? Are they 
competent to arrive at a proper decision of the various compli- 
cated questions, necessarily arising for their determination, and 
by a reference to which, their choice is to be regulated in the 
selection of officers and representatives 1 Let the people be 
educated, and thus each individual will be rightly impressed 
with the important truth, that his own interests are identified 
with those of the State. For no government is so free as that 
which is upheld b}^ the affections of the people, and no com- 
munity so happy as that in which the youth, by proper educa- 
tion, are disciplined to the exercise of all those moral virtues 
that ennoble human nature. 

So thought and so acted, almost ail of the early settlers of 
nearly every state in the Union. Although Colonists it is true, 
and perhaps entertaining not even the most remote idea of a 
separate existence, at any period of time, as a nation, they 
were in their Colonial government, if not essentially, at least 
partially Democratic. Returning by a popular vote, their own 
Representatives, and — with the exception of their Governors — 
the greater part of all their prominent officers, they felt the 
necessity of so enlightening this first great power, that at a 
very early day, schools and institutions of learning were estab- 
lished and founded by voluntary contributions among them.-— 

37* 



438 HISTORY OF 

Such is the history of the Puritans of New England, the Roman 
Catholics of Maryland, the Quakers of P ennsylvauia and the 
Huguenots of the Carolinas. True, their first efforts in this 
respect were feeble. The country was new, and surrounded 
as the inhabitants were by savage foes^the first elements of 
education which the children obtained, were communicated by 
the parents themselves, in the midst of dangers and unexam- 
pled hardships. By degrees however, as the different settle- 
ments increased in numberand strength, schools were establish-* 
ed for the instruction of the children, in the ordinary branch- 
es of the education of the country from whence the parents 
had emigrated ; and as in time, wealth began to flow in upon the 
Colonists, schools, academies and colleges came to be endow- 
ed either by individual liberality or Legislative munificence. — 
Truly the good seed sown thus early by the settlers, has yielded 
abundantly, "some thirty, some sixty and some an hundred 
fold." 

In general terms and fewer words, we have thus described 
the progressive history of the education of almost every com- 
munity in the United States. In some parts we admit, the ad- 
vance has been accelerated more perhaps by the comparative 
extent of the information of the first emigrants and the dimin- 
ished number of obstacles encountered by them in subduing 
the country, than from any other cause. Under ordinary cir- 
cumstances, this might therefore suffice for the object to wliich 
the present chapter is devoted ; but as it is intended to pre^ 
sent to the reader, a detailed account of all matters of sufficient 
importance and worthy of being embodied in a work of this 
kind, it is our duty as a faithful historian, to enter into details. 

As has been already shewn in a former part of this work,* 
the first settlement of any extent in Lancaster county, was 
made by the German Mennonites in 1709 and '10 in the neighs 
borhood (-f Willow-street, in Lampeter and Conestoga town- 
ships. They were — as their descendants still are— a highly 
moral and religious people. Holding Peace-principles, and 
taking very little if any part in the affairs of government, they 
taught their young men, that the first great duty of life, was 
for each man to mind his own business. Practising upon this 
maxim, they encouraged industry \)y their own examples, and 

•Page 71 anlea. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 439 

discouraged ambition by a representation of the evils neces- 
sarily following in its train. Devoting themselves and their 
families to religion, they labored and were happy. Spurning 
alike the honors and emoluments of office, they kept on in the 
even tenor of their way, rejoicing. Why then should they 
spend much time in Literary pursuits'! They were farmers, 
why waste time precious to them, in the acquisition of 
that which when obtained, to a people of such simple habits 
of life and so unassuming, could be of no present or conceiv- 
able advantage ] Thus reasoned the father, so argued the sons, 
and as a consequence, learning was— with the exception of so 
much as barely enabled them to read the Bible and the Psalm- 
book, to write a little in the German and master the three first 
rules in Arithmetic — not only neglected but absolutely dis- 
couraged by them. Although there has been a vast improve- 
ment in the Society for the better in this respect; and notwith- 
standing many of its members possess superior abilities and 
attainments, still the same opinions are entertained by the 
Society at large ; and while almost every other sect has made 
its efforts towards the establishment of Academies, Colleges, 
and Theological Seminaries, they have been content to walk 
in the ways of their fathers, and to hear "the word of life'* 
expounded, by men of as simple tastes and habits as them- 
selves. Let no man here reproach them with hostility to 
learning for learning's sake, for such a reproach will be as 
unjust as it is undeserved. They oppose its extension among 
their youth, beyond what we have already stated, simply 
because in their estimation, it begets a state of life inconsist- 
ent with their profession of religion. Of them it may he truly 
said, they worship God, not only in the "beauty " but also ia 
the simplicity of " of holiness." 

in the year 1717* a settlement was commenced on the banks 
of the Octorara Creek, by a party of what are now known as 
'^ the Scotch-Irish." They had many difficulties to encounter, 
for besides being destitute of any large amount of this world's 
goods, they had the misfortune of settling upon a soil by no 
means so fertile or so kind as that secured by their more for- 
tunate fellow emigrants — the German Mennonites. From ne- 
cessity and poverty, they made but little progress in the estab- 

*Page 117 antca. 



440 HISTORY OF 

lishmcnt of schools for the education of their youth ; and at 
no time until about the year 1798, was there any effort made to 
support a classical and mathematical school among them. — 
Their progress however in this respect, on a comparison, will 
be found to be but little behind even the boasted efibrts of the 
colony at Plymouth. They and their descendants have always 
been justly regarded as among the most intelligent people of 
Lancaster county. 

The Borough, nov/ the city of Lancaster, as we have seenf 
was originally founded in 1730. The first lot holders v/cre 
Quakers and English Protestants ; but before any settled plan,, 
other than the ordinary schools supported by voluntary sub- 
scription could be adopted by them for the education of youth,. 
German Protestants from the upper and lower Palatinates, 
holding the doctrines of the Lutheran and German Reformed 
Churches, with all their attachments — strong and powerful as 
they are — emigrated to this flourishing and prosperous town. 
Entering at once upon the business of life as Tradesmen and. 
Mechanics they labored with all the indomitable perseverance 
of the Saxon character, until by an increase of numbers from 
additional emigrations and the accumulation of a little wealth,, 
they v/ete enabled to build a Lutheran and also a German 
Reformed church for the accommodation of themselves and 
those holding the doctrines of these respective churches. The 
first great duty with these people, was the erection and dedi- 
cation of Houses of Worship to Almighty God. The next, was 
to supply them with those who should minister to their spiritual 
wants in holy things ; and the third but co-equal duty with the 
latter, was to secure the services ot a competent School-mas- 
ter, to instruct their children in the elements of a good German 
education. 

At no part of this History better than the present, can it 
with greater propriety be observed, that almost co-existent 
with the establishment of the iirst Lutheran churches in Ger- 
i;nany and of the Reformed churches in Switzerland and Hol- 
land, there sprang up a custom among their members peculiar 
to. themselves. Each congregation was regarded as a spiritual 
municipal corporation, and among other duties performed by 
tjiosc having its coutroul or government, in order that "the 

fPage 2^.2 antca. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 441 

word might not perish for lack of knowledge among the 
people," they employed a competent teacher, to instruct the 
youth of both sexes, without any regard whatever to the wealth 
or standing of the parents in society. Generally each church 
was supplied with an organ — indeed this instrnment was re- 
garded as indispensable to the proper worship of the Almighty, 
and the person employed to perform upon it during divine 
service, was required to unite with his skill and knowledge as 
a musician, the profession of a School-teacher. He usually 
received a stated salary, and was furnished with proper accom- 
dations for his school, himself and family at the common cost 
of the congregation. In return for this, and in addition to his 
duty as an organist — as has been shewn — he was required to 
teach the children of the congregation upon such terms as the 
vestry might from time to time determine. The sum thus tixed, 
was paid to him by the parents of such of the children, as 
were able to afford it, while the children of those who were 
in indigent circumstances, were taught the same branches 
without charge and in consideration of the salary paid by the 
congregation. This mode of educating their own poor, by a 
system so simple, was regarded as a religious duty. It was so 
taught from generation to generation, through successive years ; 
and when the two churches we have referred to, were founded 
in Lancaster, the Lutheran A. D. 1734 and the German Re- 
formed A. D. 1736, it was not forgotten. 

As may well be supposed, the schools thus established were 
not at first very far advanced, beyond the ability to impart a 
knowledge of what are now known as the first rudiments of a 
common education, but in a few years, they attained to some 
eminence, and from being originally intended only for the 
benefit of the children of their particular churches, they came 
to be multiplied and extended, for the benefit of all the inhabi- 
tants of the Borough and adjacent country. So rapidly indeed 
had the scholars increased, and with so much success were the 
schools conducted, under the united efforts and persevering 
industry of the Pastors of the Lutheran and German Reformed 
congregations, that from about the year 1745 to 1784, they were 
almost the only schools of character in the county — except those 
at Ephrata and Litiz, of which we shall speak hereafter. During 
the earlier part of this time, great interest was taken in the es- 



442 HISTORY oy 

tablishment of Schools in America, by the Highest Ecclesias- 
tical bodies of these two Churches in Europe. By the Reform- 
ed Synod of Amsterdam, Schoolmasters were sent out for the 
instruction— and German Bibles and other religious books for- 
warded to meet the wants of the community not only at Lan- 
caster but throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York. 

In the Coetualc proceedings of the Reformed church in Hol- 
land, for the year 1760, we find a Report dated May 20, A. D- 
1760, in which, among other things, it is stated as follows: 
"We begin with Lancaster. After Mr. Stoy came here, A. D. 
1758, in the month of October, he found about one hundred 
families that belonged to the church. He has baptized since 
5^^;^ that time to the month of May, 1760, one hundred, instructed 
forty young persons in the confession of faith, and received 
them as communicants. At present sixty children attend the 
school."* 

For years anterior to the time v/c are v.riting of, the minis- 
ters of the German Reformed church in America as well as in 
Europe, were among the most learned of all Divines. Essen- 
tially Calvinistic in their doctrines, they were necessarily able 
and astute polemics. Called upon as they were daily to combat 
the errors of the Romish, and to explain the difference and 
defend their doctrines from those of the Lutheran church — 
whicii also ranked among its ministers men of great learning 
and erudition— f they were constrained to search the Scrip." 

*It is worthy of remark hero, that all the proccctlinc;s, reports, &c., of the 
Synods of tliis Church were, until toward the close of the 18th Century, con- 
ducted in the Jjatin or Dutch languages: The report spoken of in the text> 
is in the Dutch and as follows, viz: 

" Wy maken den et begin met Lancaster. Nadien Doniine Stoy. A. D. 
1758 in do Maand Octob : daar hen quam, zoo vond hy omtrcnt ecn hundred 
Huishoudingen, die tot die Kerkc behoorcn. Hy heclft zint die tyd tot de 
Maand Mcy 1760 daar gcdoopt'116 Kinderen ; 40 jongs personen in die 
Geloofe Belydenissc onderweeren, en tot Ledematen aangenomen, In die 
School gau tcgenwoonlig 60 Kindcrc : 

■j-The Rev. Henry M. Muhlenberg, for a long time the pastor of the Lu- 
theran Congregation at Pliiladelphia, spoke the Latin with great fluency. 
He also preached in the Sweedish, Dutch, German, French and EngUsh 
languages. He was a profound linguist, and was familiar with the Greek 
|ind Hebrew. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 443 

tures and to read the Fathers in the original* To do so efFectu- 
ally, they devotedthemselves to the study not only of the dead 
but also of the living languages; so necessary was this know- 
ledge considered, that with but few exceptions, none but rai'e 
and ripe scholars were found in her pulpits. Hence, the deep 
and intense interest manifested for the education of the youth, 
in such of the Lord's Vineyards as were planted by their hands. 

We have already shewnf that about the year 1752, the Gov- 
ernor of Pennsylvania, Chief Justice Allen, Mr. Peters, Secre- 
tary of the Land Office, Messrs. Turner, Benjamin Franklin 
and Conrad Weiser, were appointed trustees and managers of 
the public schools, which it was intended to establish in the 
province. Previous to this time however, a large number of 
schools were in successful operation in several counties, and in 
the town of Lancaster particularly, through the active exer- 
tions of the Rev. Michael Schlatter. He was a German Re- 
formed minister, and came out at the expense of the Reformed 
Synod of Amsterdam, A. D. 1746, for this single purpose. It 
is more than probable, that the schools which it is alleged these 
trustees established at Lancaster and elsewhere, were only 
branches of those already in operation under his auspices, and 
the enterprise of the Lutheran and German Reformed con- 
gregations, for it is a well known fact, that the plan of the trus- 
tees named, did not succeed, and the schools soon fell back 
under their original charge. 

"The Germans are a patient, modest and unassuming peo- 
ple. Their character is either imperfectly understood or wil- 
fully misrepresented. For their attachment to learning and 
their untiring efforts in the cause of education, they receive but 
little credit, even from those vv^hose acquaintance with the 
facts — independent of their German origin — should prompt 
them upon all occasions, to become their readiest defenders.— 
Kow many valuable hints have we — whose mother tongue is 
tiie English — not received "from this too-ligbtly estimated peo- 
>.ple 1 How many schemes for the dissemination of knowledge 
•among men," have they not successfully devised, and other 
nations as well as ourselves, as successfully put into operation, 

*They not unfrcquently conversed in Latin and all their correspondence 
was coiiducteJ chiefly in thit tongue. Vide also pege "9,5 antca. 
-j-Pagc 253 antea. 



444 HISTORY OP 

without so much as crediting the source from whence derived 1 
Nay morci how often is it that they and we. have seized upon 
apian devised by them for the education of youth — crude, 
and it may be ill-digested, because of its novelty — and im- 
proving upon it, have as unceremoniously and unblushingly 
claimed for ourselves, the credit of the discovery 1 With no 
other people would it have been attempted ; and they 
have submitted to the moral wrong, only because they re- 
joiced more in the good that followed to others, than in the en- 
joyment of the honor that was due to the discovery, for them- 
selves."'^ 

We are led to introduce these remarks, in consequence of 
our now approaching a period in the history of education in 
Lancaster county, where we are, as a faithful historian, to claim 
for — comparatively speaking — an obscure German, the honor 
not only of suggesting, but also of successfully carrying into 
practical operation, the never-to-be-too-much-encouraged Sab- 
bath Schools of the present day. About the year 1740, af 
German by the name of Ludwig Hacker, a man of much 
learning and great piety, the teacher of the school which had 
been previously established by the society of Seventh-day 
Baptists at Ephrata, proposed the plan of holding a school in 
the afternoon of their Sabbalh, which was and is, the seventh 
instead of the lirstday of the week. It was at once carried out 
by the brethren into practical operation, and continued to dis- 
pense its blessings among the children of the neighborhood, 
until September 1777, when — after the battle of Brandywine — 
the room used for the school, was with the whole building, con- 
verted into a military hospital for the accommodation of the 
American soldiers wounded upon that sanguinary field. After 
this event, the school was never again opened; but the plan 
years afterwards, was revived in England ; and the poor Ger- 
man scholar, Ludwig Hacker who sleeps in the bosom of his 
mother earth, without a stone to mark his resting place, is for- 
gotten in the praises and blessings which are lavished upon 
the memory of him:}^ who but resuscitated and improved upon 
his plan. 

*.MSS. by Gedrgf. Ford, Esq. 

■j-Robert Railvcs. 

4P.igc22'i antca. 



LANCASTER COtJNTY. 445 

liia'former part of this work* the efforts of this society in 
the extension of knowledge, have been already shewn. Co- 
•exigtent vv^ith their change of life from a conventicle to a mon- 
astic one, A. D. 1733 a school for the education of themselves 
-and their youth in German and Classic Literature, was estab- 
lished. It was of course local in its operations, and its advanta- 
ges never became to any extent known to the public ; but its 
Teputation and the ability of its teachers, are attested by the 
^nany evidences of their skill and proficiency, remaining 
among the archives of the society. The school thus estab- 
lished, continued its beneficial operations until with the grad- 
ual decay of the society, it was finally suspended. Thus it 
remained until after the passage of an Act by the Legislature 
€fthe State, February 21, 1814, incorporating the few members 
which yet remained of the society. With a pious reverence 
for the memories and virtues of their fathers, and desirous of 
emulating, as far as practicable, the efforts made by them in 
their day and generation, these survivors, chiefly through the 
active exertions of Mr. William Konigmacher, by virtue of the 
provisions of the act referred to, and also of others subse- 
quently passed for the purpose, started an acadaray where the 
English and German languages, mathematics and other 
branches are successfully taught. 

Like their German brethren at Ephrata, the Moravians at 
Litiz, were and still are the devoted friends of Education. — 
Their first settlement at Warwick, A. D. 1742, was marked by 
the establishment of a school under the charge of their tnin- 
ister, the Rev. Leonard Schncll,f a German of consideruble 
literary attainments ; and when at length in 1754, a monastic 
life was determined on, and the village of Litizin consequencj& 
thereof founded, their school had attained to some local emin- 
ence. In the year 1762, it was removed to the latter place, 
and there continued until A. D. 1794, | when it was divided 
into two departments, one for each sex. Out of the Female 
■department, the now justly celebrated Young Ladies Semi* 
iiary, sprung into existence as a Boarding schuol, with whait 

*Page 216 antea. 

fPage 310 antea. 

4:Page 316 antea. 

38 



446 HISTORY OP 

success and how much benefit to the community, its present 
widely extended reputation will best attest. 

The school for the education of the male youth of the soci- 
ety and adjacent country, continued its operations until in the 
year 1815,* when it was assigned to Mr. John Beck, the pre- 
sent able and indefatigable principal — a gentleman of ac- 
knowledged ability, of great goodness of heart, enthusiastical- 
ly devoted to his profession, and remarkable for the fatherly 
care and aflection which he has always evinced for his pupils, 
the school grew rapidly into public favor under his superin- 
tendence ; and at tliis day, its reputation is deservedly high as 
an academy where the English and German languages, Maths- 
raatics, Chemistry, Astronomy and all the sciences are taught 
with unsurpassed skill, to young men from almost every State 
in the Union. 

We now return once more to the movements of the friends 
of education, in the borough of Lancaster. Being the metrop- 
olis of the county, we must judge of the progress of know- 
ledge in the rural districts by the encouragement given to 
learning in this local Capital. About the year 1780, Jasper 
Yeatcs, Esq., Casper Shalfner, Esq , Col. George Ross, Charles 
Hall, Esq., and other gentlemen of the place, finding that the 
existing Schools under the charge of the Lutheran and German 
Reformed Congregations, as also the one established a number 
of years previous by the Moravians, and conducted upon the 
same plan, were inadequate to the growing wants of the people, 
and incapable of teaching the higher branches, engaged the 
services of a teacher of recommended abilities, to conduct a 
select academy for the education of their male children. This 
Academy continued in existence for several years, as the High 
School of the place, until, owing to the violent temper of the 
teacher and the many indignities which he offered to the pupils 
under his charge, it was finally suspended. This school sugges- 
ted the idea of establishing another; but upon a surer basis, 
under the control of Trustees by an act of incorporation, and 
ultimately begat the application to the Legislature for the incor- 
poration of "Franklin College." 

On the 10th of March, A. D. 1787,* the General Assembly of 

•Page 318 antea. 

j-2 Sm. laws, p-jje 398. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 447 

the State, granted the prayer of the petitioners, and passed an 
act with the following title : " An act to incorporate and endow 
the German College and Charity School in the borough of 
Lancaster, in this State." The Preamble of the act explains 
the object which it was intended to effect, and is in the follow- 
ing words, viz : " Whereas, the citizens of this State of German 
birth or extraction, have eminently contributed, by their indus- 
try, economy and public virtues, to raise the State to its present 
happiness and prosperity: And, whereas, a number of citizens 
of the above description, in conjunction with others, from a 
desire to increase and perpetuate the blessings desired to them 
from the possession of property and a free government, have 
applied to this House for a charter of Incorporation, and a do- 
nation of lands, for the purpose of establishing and endowing 
a College and Charity School, in the borough of Lancaster. 
And, whereas, the preservation of the principles of the Chris- 
tian Religion, and of our Republican form of Government in 
their purity, depend, under God, in a great measure, on the 
establishment and support of suitable places of education, for 
the purpose of training up a succession of youth, who by being 
enabled fully to understand the grounds of both, may be led 
the more zealously, to practice the one, and the more strenu- 
ously to defend the other. Therefore, &c." Here then follow 
the different sections of the act, the prominent features of 
which are these : §2. That the youth shall be taught in the 
German, English, Latin, Greek and other learned languages, 
in Theology, in the usv-ful arts, sciences and Literature. The 
corporate title shall be "Franklin College," in honor of His 
Excellency Benjamin Franklin, Esquire, President of the Su- 
preme Executive Council, &c. The fxrst Trustees are named 
and incorporated with the usual powers. Yearly income not 
to exceed £10,000. The annual meeting of the trustees to be 
at Lancaster, nine of them to be a quorum and to appoint their 
own officers. The Principal, vice Principal or Professors 
while they remain such, are not to hold the office of trustee. 
The style and powers of the faculty are prescribed. Propor- 
tion of Trustees how to be chosen, and Principal to be chosen 
alternately from the Lutheran or Calvinist Churches. Seat of 
Trustee being a Clergyman, to be filled with another Clergy- 
man, but the proportion of Lutheran and Calvinist trustees ta 



448 HISTORY OP 

be invariably preserved. Trustees empowered to appoint 
other officers not named in the charter, to fix salaries, &c. 
Misnomer not to defeat any gift &c., nor non-user to create a 
forfeiture, &c. ^3. The Constitution not to be altered but by 
the Legislature. ^4. The College endowed with 10,000 acres 
of land, &c. 

Under this charter and a donation subsequently granted by 
an act of Assembly, consisting of an old military store-house 
and two lots of ground in the borough of Lancaster, worth 
about .^2000, the College went into operation, A. D. 1786, as 
a Grammar School, with a Professor of the Latin and Greek lan- 
guages, and also a Professor of Mathematics. The first pro- 
fessor was a German by the name of Melsheimer. Ardently 
attached to literary pursuits, he strove long and earnestly to 
create a proper taste for them, among the Germans and their 
descendants. To some extent he succeeded, for under his 
management the Hohe Schule* prospered for a little while ;, 
but continually owing to the want of a proper management of 
its finances, it afterwards gradually declined, until^about the 
year 1821, when it ceased all further practical operations ; 
But it was not doomed to sleep in inglorious inactivity, like 
the Phoenix from her ashes, it was destined to rise again with 
renewed usefulness, as we shall hereafter shew, when through 
the prudence of its Trustees, its funds should be carefully hus- 
banded, and their ability to support its existence from the 
income, would be undoubted. 

In the meanwhile, private schools and academies were estab- 
lished and supported in the Borough and various sections of 
the county, but no organized or settled system being adopted 
for their government, none of them attained to any eminence. 
It is true, large numbers of poor children in the county, as 
well as the city, were educated free of expense, pursuant to 
the provisions of the act of Assembly of April 4, A. D. 1809,t 
entitled "An act for the education of the poor gratis;" but 
such education, owing to the general incompetency of the 
teachers, was exceedingly limited. The system established by 
this act, having been found in its practical operation, to be both 
expensive and inadequate to the wants of the people in the 

•Anglicc-Kigh School. 

f 5 Sm. laws, pages 73 and 74. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 449 

city of Lancaster, another act was passed by the Legislature 
on the 1st day of April, A. D. 1822,' entitled *'An act to 
provide for the education of children at the public expense, 
within the city and incorporated Boroughs of the County of 
Lancaster.'' By the provisions of this act, the city and incor- 
porated boroughs of the county, were erected into a school 
district, by the name, style and title of the " Second School 
District of the State of Pennsylvania." Twelve Directors were 
to be annually appointed by the Court of Quarter Sessions of 
the County — their duties and powers were prescribed — the ad- 
mission of children regulated — theLancasterian system ordered 
to be adopted — the expenses provided foi — the duty of the 
County Commissioners set forth, and the division of the 
district into sections whenever required — how to be done. — 
Under this act, the first and only section of the district was com 
posed of the city of Lancaster. 

The Directors appointed by the Court of Quarter Sessions,, 
proceeded at once, to purchase a lot of ground, erect a large 
and commodious school house, employ male and female teach- 
ers, admit scholars, and in pursuance of the law, adopting the 
Lancasterian system of education, opened their schools with 
the highest hopes of success. In this they were not disappointed. 
The plan v/orkedso well, that the city of Lancaster until lately 
did not become an accepting school district under the provisions 
of the general school law of June 13, A. D. 1833.f But the 
expense of erecting a school-house, and of continuing the 
schools, being borne out of the County treasury, it never 
ceased, because of its partiality, to be a source of complaint 
on the part of the inhabitants of the county. Nevertheless, 
the schools — male and female departments — continued in ope- 
ration under this special law — with all their objectionable 
features as pauper schools — until in the month of May, A. D. 
1838, when, in pursuance of the provisions of certain Resolu- 
tions, passed by the Legislature on the 14th day of April, A. D. 
1838,]: the inhabitants, by a popular vote, determmed upon an 
acceptance of the Common School System, modified and adopt- 
ed to their circumstances by the Resolutions already referred to. 

*7 Sm. laws, 538. 

fPam. laws 1835-'36, page 525. 

:tPam. laws 1837-8, page 6S6. 

38* 



450 HISTORY OP 

Upon the result of this vote being made known, the Board of 
Directors was organized, and through their indefatigable exer- 
tions, schools have been established so numerous and so well 
graded, that every child in the city can be educated "without 
money and without price," to an extent which but fifty years 
ago was seldom attained even by the children of wealthy 
parents. 

"While upon this subject, it may as well be observed, that ^ 
deep and growing interest in the cause of education is mani^ 
festing itself daily, in the rural districts, for out of thirty-three 
school districts in the county, eighteen in 1842, had accepted 
the provisions of the Common School law.* 

It must not be supposed while these efforts were making to 
instruct the great mass of the children of Lancaster county in 
the elementary branches of an English education, the inhab- 
itants were unmindful of the higher and more difficult ones. — 
We shall speak of these hereafter. Thus have the exertions of 
the friends ot education been crowned with eminent success, 
in the establishment and support of Common Schools, as well 
in many parts of the county as in the city of Lancaster. 

While these movements were making for the extension of 
learning to and among the children of the town and county, a 
number of Master Mechanics of the city, perceiving that their 
apprentices were destitute of the means of mental improve- 
ment, and taught by their own experience, that idleness is the 
prolific source of vice — a rock upon which has stranded the 
highest hopes and fondest expectations of parents and friends — 
with a commendable determination to project some plan, by 
which the leisure hours of their apprentices might be rationally 
employed, convened a public meeting for consultation and 
advice upon this subject, on the evening of July 8, A. D. 1829. 
At this meeting Hugh Maxwell, Esq. presided; and out of it 
soon grew "The Mechanics Society." A constitution was 
goon after formed, agreed upon and submitted to the Supreme 
Court, by which a charter was decreed, May 26, A. D. 1831. — 
Having thus procured a legal existence, the society soon went 
into active operation. By voluntary contributions, a Library 
was commenced and has gone on increasing in sizeaud value, 

•9th annual Report of the Superintendent of Commrn SchooJf, 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 4S.1 

until it now numbers near 2,000^ volumes, besides a valuably 
collection of maps, globes, philosophical apparatus, kc. &c. 

The Library soon became the centre of attraction to the, 
apprentices, and an improvement morally as well as mentally, 
became apparent in their habits and condition. Increasing in 
strength and character, the society found it necessary t^o 
procure a Hall for their accommodation, in which a system of 
*' popular instruction, by familiar lectures," was soon after 
(A. D. 1836) carried into operation under the management of 
a committee appointed for that purpose. These lectures, at 
first confined to Chemistry, Natural Philosophy, Astronomy, 
fee. soon became popular, and in a short time after, were ex- 
tended and enlarged so as to embrace almost every science 
and every subject, except that of Religion. In 1838, a new 
and capacious Hall was erected in South Queen street, for the 
better accommodation of the crowds which gather from time 
to time listen to the words of instruction and of interest, as they 
fall from the lips of the Lecturers, engaged through the enter- 
prize and liberality of the Society. Of it, all that we have to 
say is, that it has done much and great good, and to it, we have 
only to add our prayer — Esto perpetua! 

We now return to consider the efforts made for the endow- 
ment and support of schools of a higher order than those here- 
tofore treated of— classical and mathematical acadamies, where 
inquiring youth might attain a knowledge of the languages 
of Homer and Demosthenes, of Cicero and Virgil — where they 
might be taught to solve the problems of Euclid — to study the 
works of Gallileo— explore the vast fields of Natural Philoso- 
phy, Astronomy and Chemistry, with all the various sciences, 
necessary to the constitution of a finished scholar. 

Immediately after the suspension of the Grammar or High. 
School of the "Franklin College," as already shewn, but one 
private classical academy existed in Lancaster. This school 
was at best but feebly supported, and was at length discon- 
tinued. A taste for classic literature however, having been 
created to some extent, among the people, application was 
made to the Legislature during the session of 1826-'7, for the 
incorporation of an academy at Lancaster, and on the 14th 
(Jay of April, A. D. 1827,* an act was passed entitled " An act 

*Pam. laws, page 357. 



452 IiISTORY OF 

incorporating- the Lancaster County Academy." In this act 
certain gentlemen were named as Trustees — the corporation 
Was established with the usual powers — the powers, privileges, 
meetings and duties of the trustees were prescribed — a dona- 
tion of <$3,000 was granted by the state, and poor children, not 
Gxceeding at any one time, four in number, to be educated m 
consideration thereof: The Trustees thus appointed by the 
act, organized, received subscriptions, purchased a lot of 
ground in the city of Lancaster, and in the year 1828, erected 
a large and commodious house for their schools. They em- 
ployed a competent Teacher, and the academy was opened 
under very flattering auspices. With varied, and at best, but 
indifferent success, it continued in operation, until in the 
Summer of 1839, when, in pursuance of an act uf Assembly, 
passed on the 15th of May, A. D, 1839, authorizing the arrange- 
ment, the buildings of the Academy were conveyed to the 
Trustees of Franklin College, and after being considerably 
enlarged by the latter corporation, the "Hohe Schule" again 
went into operdtion upon an entirely new plan, and under such 
an arrangement, as to secure its permanent existence and use- 
fulness. ' So far indeed has it succeeded, that it now supports a 
professor of the Greek and Latin, and also one of the German, 
French, Spanish and Italian languages. The English and 
Mathematical department is also under the charge of a gentle- 
man of superior ability. Thus has the intention of those who 
originally projected the plan and procured the incorporation 
of the "Hohe Schule" or Franklin College, at L incaster, been 
practically carried out. Long may it continue to flourish, and 
be what it now is — an honor to the county, and the dispenser of 
riches more " precious than rubies or line gold !" 

Simultaneous with this movement, in the city, efforts were 
made with great success in various parts of the county, for the 
establishment of Classical and Mathematical academies, inde- 
pendently of those already existing at Litiz and Ephrata. Of 
these there are at this day, some of very high character and 
extensive reputation as Boarding schools. Among the most 
prominent, is "The Mountjoy Institute," at the village of 
Mountjoy, under the charge of J. H. Brown, Esq.— "The 
Strasburg Academy," at the village of Strasburg, under the 
direction of the Rev. Dr. McCartcr— "The Paradise Academy," 



LANCASTER COtTJTTT. 453 

•Dnder the care of Mr. Enos Stevens, and the Rev. Mr. Timlow's 
Academy, at Bellevue. The Columbia Academy is also re- 
spectable in character, but only as a Day School, where boys 
are taught the Latin and Greek languages— Mathematics, Sec. 

In this honorable provision for the mental improvement of 
the youth of the sterner— -it must not be supposed that those 
of the softer — sex, have been ungenerously forgotten : Impress- 
ed with the importance of this great truth — that good mothers 
train up good sons, and th^tthey — more than the fathers — form 
the characters of their children — the citizens of the city and 
county alike, have sought with commendable zeal, to secure 
the services of able and competent teachers, whose attention, 
should be devoted exclusively to the proper education of fe- 
males. As a result of these efforts — a Seminary has been 
-established and is in successful operation in the city under the 
■control of James Damant, Esq. which in point of standing and 
character is equal to any other in Pennsylvania. As a Board- 
ing School, the Young Ladies Seminary at Litiz has been 
already spoken of; and in addition to it, "The Young Ladies 
Lyceum Institute" — Rev. N. Dodge, A. M. Principal — located 
on the banks of the Chicquesalunga creek near the village of 
JMountjoy — is perhaps, as regards accommodations — kind 
attention to the wants of the pupils— facility for acquiring, a 
competent and thorough knowledge of all the various branches 
and accomplishments taught at similar institutions, if not 
superior to, at least surpassed by none other in the country. 

The civilization of any people is progressive,^so also is their 
education. Habits inconsistent with the growth of the former, 
and tastes incompatible with the advance of the latter, are to 
be changed and overcome. Hence the transition is not nor 
can it ever be, either immediate or instantaneous. The move- 
ments are at first slow, gradual and confined to the few ; but 
as their benefits are extended, they become accelerated and 
penetrate into all the various strata of society. With regard 
to Lancaster county, this has been particularly so. At first, 
the inhabitants were content with schools conducted by teach- 
ers who would scarcely be tolerated by any community at 
the present day. But as we have already stated generally, in 
tlie commencement of this chapter, as they increased in pop- 
Hlation and wealth, their tastes improved with their pecu- 



454 HISTORY OF 

niary abilities and as a consequence, their schools advanced la 
character in an equal degree, so that they will now bear com- 
parison with those of any other community in the Union. — 
Eorn and bred as we were upon her soil, when we contem- 
plate the efforts of her citizens in the cause of Education, as 
they have been practically carried out in the establishment 
and liberal support of our Common and Sabbath schools, 
Lyceums — and Academies and Female Seminaries, we have 
abundant cause for gratulation, that our lot has been cast 
in such a land. 

It has been said somewhere, by some one, that Pericles, who 
succeeded Aristides, found the city of Athens of brick and 
left it of m.arble. Truly the Germans who first penetrated into 
and settled Lancaster county, have done more than this. They 
found it in its physical aspect, a wilderness — they left it to their 
children blooming as the rose, and they in turn with their 
descendants, have so improved the mental character of its 
people, that their light is seen and felt from afar off. Ba the 
endeavOi' of this and succeeding generations, not only to 
maintain their present character, but to improve it still more : 
and as they gather beneath the banner x/hereon is inscribed 
"the Education of all" — let there be one universal shout-— 
Excelsior ! 



LANCASTER COTJNTIT. 455 



CHAPTER XIT 



liELTGious Denominations — Early missionaries among the Concstoga and 
other Indians — The Mennonitcs — The Friends or Quakers — The Ornish 
or Amish — The Episcopalians: — The Presbyterians — The German Bap- 
tists — The German Seventh Day Baptists — The Lutherans — The German 
Reformed — The United Brethren or Moravians— The Roman Catholics — 
The Methodist Episcopal — The New Jerusalem Church — The Evangeli- 
cal Association or " Abrecht's Jicute" — The Reformed Mennonites — The 
Universalists — The Secedors — The United Brethren or "Allojememe 
Brueder" — The Church of God — The Calvanistic Baptists — The Mor- 
mon?, &c. 

If diversity of creeds, or multiplicity of religious sects serve 
as a standard of deep toned piety and christian bencvolerce, 
then may the people of Lancaster county lay claim to a goodly 
share ; for there is no spot upon earth, with so limited a popu- 
lation and the same confined territory, that counts more de- 
nominations, than Lancaster. But with all this diversity, there 
are few, if any, i?'reIigious controversies, that usually charac- 
terize bigots, among the inhabitants. Each seems to promote 
his own and his neighbor's welfare, and therewith appears 
content. 

In this chapter we shall attempt a succinct sketch of the seve- 
ral religious denominations found in this county. We regret 
it, that only a few of the .score of ministers whom we addressed 
to furnish religious statistics, have seen proper to comply.* 

At an early period missionaries of the Swedish church visited 
the Indians, v/ithin the present limits of Lancaster county.-— 
The Friends also paid some attention to the Indians. As early 

*For an accurate and impartial account of the history and doctrines of 
all the religious denominations in the United States, the reader is referred to 
a work entitled He Pasa Ecclesia,orthe Whole Church in the United Stales; 
every article of the work quoted has been expressly written for it by eminent 
theological professors, ministers or distinguished lay members of each rC' 
•-pective denomination. It is the only work extant that can be relied on as 
being impartial and authentic. Rupp, Clyde, Williams & Co., of Ilarris- 
"buriT, Pa., are the publishers. The work is in press. 



456 iaisTont OF 

as 1705, Thomas Chalkley, an eminent preacher among the 
Quakers, visited the Indians living near Susquehanna, at Con- 
estoga, and preached to them. In 1708 or 1709, a Swedish Lu- 
theran, in the capacity of a missionary, resided among the 
Conestoga Indians, to instruct them in the christian religion. 

The Mennonites.— In 1709, several families from the Pala- 
tinate, descendants of the distressed Swiss Mennonites settled 
on Pequea creek. With this colony came Hans Herr, a Men- 
nonite minister, who dispensed to them the word of life. The 
Mennonites were of course the first regularly organized de- 
nomination in the county. Among their first ministers in this 
county, before 1725, were Hans Herr, Ulrich Breckbill, Hans 
Tschantz, Hans Burkholter, Christian Herr, Benedict Hirschi, 
Martin Bear, Johannes Bauman. They had been very numer- 
ous till about the year 1791, or '92, when a certain Martin 
Boehm and others made inroads upon them, and a considera> 
ble number seceded and united themselves with the United 
Brethren or Vereinigte Brueder, nevertheless, they are still the 
prevalent denomination in this county. They have about 
forty-five ministers in the county. These are divided into 
bishops and ordinary ministers. The bishops at present are 
the Revds. Jacob Hostater, Jacob Zimmerman, Christian Herr, 
Henry Schenk, and Mr. Bomberger; among their ordinary 
teachers are the Revds. Daniel Gehman, Mr. Gulh, IMr; 
Gehman, Tobias Warner, Mr. Sherick, Joseph Wengcr, 
Jacob Weaver, Jacob Stauffer, Joseph Hershy, Joseph Horst^ 
Jacob Hershy, Henry Breneman, Benjamin Herr, John Kreider, 
David Witmer, Mr. Staufer, Benjamin Eby, A. Brubaker, John 
Shenk, Andrew Kauffman, Christian Herr, Martin Mayer, 
J)aniel Sterneman, John Hoover, Christian Kaufman, John 
Kindig, John Nissly, Christian Nissly, John Schlott, David 
Ebersole, Peter Ebersole, Mr. Brubecker and others whose 
names we have not learned. 

These all preach in German. They have upwards of thirty- 
five meeting houses. Some of the congregations are large, 
numbering rising of two hundred members. The probable 
number of Mennonite church members, we think cannot 
be less than six thousand. As they keep no records of names, 
it is somewhat difficult to ascertain the exact number. Their 
forefathers all brought Bibles with tlicm. We have seen witliisx 



LANCASTER COtJNTY. 457 

\he last year, several of Froschauer's edition of the Swiss 
BMq, printed at Zurich, 1540, and still in a good state of pre- 
servatioH, with the Mennonites. 

The Friends or Quakers. — These are next in order to the 
Mennonites. They were very numerous about the years 1725 
and 1730. Their meetings were well attended for a long time. 
In 1729, there were at least 1000 families of Friends in the 
county. They have since greatly diminished ; at present they 
have only 9 or 10 places of worship. There are two denomi- 
nations of them in the county — Orthodox and other Friends. 

The Omish. — This society are Rigid Mennonites, not differing 
essentially from the Mennonites. At present, the chief diifer- 
ence between the Omish and Mennonites, consists in the 
former being more simple in their dress, and more strict in 
their discipline. They settled in this county at an early date. 
They were numerous in 1735. Their number is comparatively 
small, having 5 or 6 ministers. They hold their religious 
meetings in private houses, founding this practice upon 
Acts I. 46, 

The Episcopalians. -^Their ministers visited this county as 
early as 1717 or 1719. They were the first after the Mennon- 
ites and Quakers, to erect houses for religious worship. We 
could not obtain the names of their first ministers, except those 
who labored principally in the city of Lancaster. In 1744, the 
Episcopalians held a meeting at Lancaster, for the organiza- 
tion of a parish. The Rev. Richard Locke, an itinerant mis- 
sionary, was the first officiating minister. The following is the 
order in which others succeeded him : 1751, Rev. Geo. Craig : 
1759, Rev. Thomas Barton ; 1783, Rev. Joseph Hutchins; 1791, 
Rev. Elisha Rigg ; 1799, Rev. Joseph Clarkson ; 1820, Rev. 
W. A. Muhlenberg became associated with the Rev. Clarksonj 
1826, Rev. L. S. Ives; 1827, Rev. Samuel Bowman, the present 
Rector; besides him, two others officiate in the county: the 
Rev'ds Levi Bull and E. Y. Buchanan. They have 4 places of 

public worship in the county. 

The Presbyterians.— About the year 1717 a number of 
Scotch and Irish Presbyterians, settled in the Octorara region. 
Among their first ministers was the Rev. Adam Boyd, who 
preached in Octorara in 1724. In 1720, Rev. Anderson received 
a callfrom the Donegal church. Rev, Alexander Craighead 

39 



458 HISTOUY OP 

prcachcil in Pcqiicain i^JUk Kev. John Elder of Paxlon, was or* 
dainod in 17oS ; Kcv. Dan'l Aloxaiulor was in Poquca 173i). The 
city was occasionally visitcil between the years 171"> ami 17()0, 
In 17t)i), the Rev. John Woodhull* became their regnhir min- 
ister in the borough of Lancaster. In 1779, the Rev. Nathaniel 
W. Soniplo was called, and was their pastor for 40 years ; in 
1S'21, Rev. William Aslunead succeeded. These are in their 
order. In 1809, Rev_.. Richard Pickinson; 1834, Rev. J. T. 
^Marshall Davie; 1840. Rev. John iM'Nair. There are nine 
Presbyterian ministers residing in the county : Kev'ds JM'Nair, 
Joseph Barr, Lindley C. Rutter, David IVFCartcr, T. Mai-shall 
Boggs, Philip J. Timlow, AltVed Nevin, Robert W. Dunlap, 
John Wallace and Samuel Dickey. They have ir> churches. 

The German Baptists. — A number of these settled in this 
county prior to 17'il. They constituted a church in 1703, under 
the charge of Rev. Peter Becker. At first they increased rap- 
idly, but at present their number is small. They, like the 
Omish, meet in private houses to hold their religious meetings. 
They hold their meetings at some 10 or 15 ditlerent houses in 
the county, and in a tew instances at school houses. 

The German Seventh-day Baptists, or Siebcn Taeirer. — 
This society took its rise about the year 1704 or 1705. The 
founder was Conrad Boisel, who seceded from the German 
Baptists. This society tlourished lor many years at Ephrata, 
where is their only place of holding meetings in the county. — 
See pages Oil, 0;U 

The Lutherans. — !\[any of this denomination emigrated to 
Lancaster county bet ore 1730. JMissionaries visited the scat- 
tered brethren. Among these were, in 1731, 17^0, &;c. the 
Rev'ds C. J. Shultz, Casper Stoever, who also ministered as 
tlie ln*st pastors of the Lutheran church in the city. The fol- 
lowing succeeded them: In 1740, Rev. T. Dylander, Swedish 
Rector of Philadelphia ; 1741, Rev. Valentine Kraft; 1743, 
Rev. L. Nyberg; Rev. G. Nauman, Swedish Rector of Phila- 
delphia, preached occasionally in Lancaster, from 174t) to 
174S; this year Rev. T. F. Handschuh preached till 1751. 
From 1751 to 17.53, the congregation was successively served 
by the Rev'ds Tobias Wagner, England, H. B. G. Wortnian. 
From 175;^ to 17G9, the Rev. SiegtVied Gerock ; from the latter 

•Sec pogc 367. 



LAXCASTKIl COUNTS. 459 

j)orio(3, tho congregation wa.s visitod by tlio JIovMh Dr. Wcury 
Molch(jir Muhlenberg, K. Shiiltz, N. Kurt/ and others, for a 
shoillirne ; when the Rev. J. (J. Jielrniitfi, UjI'; from ICuropo, 
was called and eontinued tilllTTO; in 17S0, Rev. II. Muhlen- 
berg, son of Dr. 11. M. Muhlenberg, tof^k charge ol' the con- 
gregation, and was their pastor till JHlo, v/hen Rev. Dr. C. En- 
dress succeeded him and coritinuf;d till 1H27. 'i'he present 
pastor, the Rev. Dr. J. (J. Baker, took charge of the corjgrega- 
tion in 1828. Besides Dr. Baker's church, there is another in tho 
city, exclusively GeiTnan, under the pastoral care of the Rev. 
W. Jieates. 

There are at present seven Lutheran ministers residing in 
the county: Dr. John C.Baker, Rev'ds W. B^ate;-!, J. J. Strein, 
S. Trunjbauer, C. G. Frederick, C. Barnitz ai,d L. C';r/)art. — 
They have 27 places of public worship, llf^re wa would add 
the names of the Rev'ds A. C, Muhlenberg, Schroeter, Yung, 
Ernst, fScriba, Jiiernenschneider, 'JiothrauH', Ijernheirn, Sahm 
and Mueller, all of whom had ciiarge of congregations at dif- 
ferent times. 

The German Reformi:d. — In the beginning of 1700, a 
number of Reformed came to the province of Pennsylvania. 
The Ferrecs, members of the Reformed Walloon church of 
Pelican, in the Lower Palatinate, left Europe for America, and 
settled in this county about the year 1712.* With the Ferrees, 
Isaac Le Lever came to this county and brought with him his 
French Bible, which is still preserved by his descendants as a 
precious relic. 

As early as 1717 or 1718, the Pvcv. P. Boehrn of Witpen, one 
of the oldest German Reformed preachers, had charge of a 
German Pi,eforrncd church. Rev. Boehrn, the Rev. G. M. 
Weiss, who had charge of a congregation in Philadelphia, 
about the year 1724, and the Rev. H. Dorstius of Bucks county, 
occasionally visited the pastorless German Reformed who had 
settled in this county prior to I72f>. 

In 1727, a large number of Germans, among v.horn were 
many Cjf^rrnan Reformed, came into this county: these were 
the Dieffenderfer's and others, who.so number was augmented 
in 17^31 by the arrival of the Bushongs,f Nehs, Schwartz, 

»8ce pa,'es .3U8 and 20. 
tSee page 271. 



460 HISTORY OF 

Mentz, and the Rev. J. B. Rieger,* who had charge for many 
years of German Reformed congregations in this county, 
among others was " Seltenreich's Kirche," near New Holland. 
In 1730 or 1731, the Rev. John Peter Miller, ordained by the 
Scotch Presbyterian Synod, in 1730, visited German Reformed 
congregations at Cocalico and Tulpehocken. About this time 
several congregations were organized, one at Lancaster, and 
in other parts of the county. In 1743, there was one formed at 
"Modecrick," near Adamstown. However, there was a great 
and general destitution of pious and qualified pastors in this 
branch of the church till the middle of the last century. In 
1746, the Hev. Michael Schlatter, of St. Gall, in Switzerland, 
in consequence of information he had received of the destitute 
condition of the German Reformed churches, left his pastoral 
charge, and having received a regular appomtmcnt and re- 
commendation, visited the churches in Pennsylvania, and 
while in the discharge of this duty, visited those in Lancaster 
county. Besides the visits paid them by the Rev, Schlatter, 
the Rev'ds Folk, Loescher, Waldsmith, Deckert, Fuetzmiller, 
Wittner, Templeman and others ministered occasionally in 
spiritual things among the German Reformed. The Rev'ds 
J. C. Bucher, W. Runkel, ^¥. Stoy and others labored in vari- 
ous parts of the county prior to the Revolution. In the Co- 
calico charge, now principally under the pastoral care of the 
Rev. Daniel Hertz, the Rev'ds Gobrecht, Hautz, Wilhelms, 
Charles Helflenstein, Faber, A. Herman ; and since 1819, the 
Rev. Hertz, labored from time to time. The Rev. Henry 
Schaffher of Marietta, had, for rising of thirty years, a number 
of congregations in charge. The Rev. Hiesteralso had charge 
of several congregations. 

The congregation in the city, at an early period, was occa- 
sionally served by the Rev'ds Hoch, Rieger, Hochreutner, 
Steiner, Schlatter and others. In 1752, the Rev. W. Otterbein 
took charge of it. The Rev. Stoy was a supply for a short 
time, and so was the Rev. L. C. Boehm. In 1779 the Rev. A. 
Helffenstein was called ; in 1782 the Rev. W. Hendel; in 1795 
the Rev. Becker; in 1806 the Rev. Hoffmcier; in 1832 the 
Rev. Brunner; in 1840 the present pastor, the Rev. G. W. 
Glessner, was called. The Rev'ds Weiler and Hoffheins, havo 

*Scc page 22G. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 46 1 

charge of congregations. The German Reformed have 
twenty places of public worship, and if they had a competent 
number of efficient ministers, might easily organize ten or 
fifteen congregations in a few years. Here is a large field for 
home missionary enterprize. 

The United Brethren or Moravians. — This denomination 
is essentially missionary in their operations; and as early as 
1742, several congregations were organized in this county. In 
1742, count Zinzendorff, the apostle of the American Mora- 
vians, visited Lancaster. In 1746 they held a provincial council 
in the town of Lancaster. At Litiz they have a large commu- 
nity.* The following ministers have presided over the congre- 
gation at Lancaster: 1746, Rev. L. T. Nyberg ; 174S, Rev'ds 
L. Schnell and R. Ultey ; 1749, Rev. A. Reinke, sen.; 1751, 
Rev. G. Weiser; 1753, Rev'ds C. Rauch and A. Wagner; 
1754, Rev. 0. Krogstrup ; 1755, Rev'ds C. Bader and C. F. 
Oerter; 1756, Rev. A. L. Rusmyer; 1757, Rev. C. G. Rundt; 
1758, Rev'ds Rundt, Rusmyer and Bader; 1753, Rev. C. Bader; 
1762, Rev. A. L. Rusmyer; 1786, Rev. A. Langgaard; 1773, 
Rev. 0. Krogstrup; 1785, Rev. L. F. Boehler ; 1786, Rev. J. 
Herbst; 1791, Rev. A. Reinke, jr. ; 1795, Rev. L. Huebner; 
1800, Rev. J. M. Beck; 1303, Rev. A. Reinke, jr. ; 1806, Rev. J. 
M. Beck; 1810, Rev. C. Mueller; 1819, Rev. S. Reinke; 1823, 
Rev. Peter WoUe ; 1826, Rev. J. G. Ilermaii ; 1S29, Rev. C. F. 
Reinhel; 1834, Rev. C, A. Vanvleck ; 1335, Rev. S. Reinke; 
1839, Rev. George F. Bahnson, present pastor. 

The Roman Catholics. — A church, by this denomination 
was organized about the year 1740. The members were regu- 
larly visited by pastors from Philadelphia. It appears they 
had no regular settled pa^itor among them before 1800. Their 
number has steadily increased, principally however from 
foreign emigrations of German and Irish Catholics. Their 
present pastor is the indefatigable Rev. B. Keenan. They have 
3 or 4 places of public worship in the county. 

The Methodist EnscoPAL.— In 1781, Methodist ministers 
first visited this county; and in 1782 the Lancaster Circuit was 
formed, and the Rev. William Partridge appointed as minister, 
Among the early ministers who preached in different parts of 

f See pages 308 and 20. 

39* 



462 HISTORY OP 

this county, were the Rcv'ds William Glendening, W. Jesup, 
Isaac Robertson, W. Hunter, T. P. Chandler and Simon Miller 
a native of the county. 

In the city of Lancaster, the Rev. Jacob Gruler preached 
occasionally about the year 1705 and 1706. The first regular 
service held in town, was in the house of Philip Benedict, by 
Rev. ficnry Boehm in 1807. In 1808 the Rev'ds Thomas Birch 
and James succeeded Boehm. Their successors were the 
Rev'ds Joseph Samson, Thomas Ware, John Walter, John 
Tally, George Cookman, Jacob Gruber, John Leonard, John 
Woolson, Wesley Wallace, W. Torbert, Thomas Ncal, John 
Ogden, James Moore, as circuit preachers. In 1829, Lancas- 
ter was made a regular charge, where stationed ministers have 
since been located : these were Rev'ds Joseph M'Cool, Thomas 
Miller, John Nicholson, Thomas Sovereign, James Houston, 
James Neil, D. D. Lore, S. H. Higgins, and the present pastor, 
the Rov. Robert 'Gerry. The following named preachers are 
stationed in various parts of the county : Rev'ds T. Sumtion, 
T. C. Murphy, J. W. Arthur, E. Reed, A. W. Milby, Mr. Hum- 
phries. The Methodists have rising of tv/enty places of public 
v»orship in tiie county. 

The New Jerusale:.! Ciiuiich. — For an account of this de- 
nomination, see page 481. 

The Evangelical Association. — This sect, sometimes called 
"Die Albrechts Leute," is of comparative recent origin. It 
took its rise in this county about the year 1800, through the 
indefatigable efforts ot Jacob Albrecht, a native of Berks coun- 
ty ; but he had settled previous to 1800 in Earl township. — 
They have 8 or 9 places of worship, besides several churclies. 
The Refo'imeu Mennonites.— It appears that prior to 1810, 
some conceived that there was spiritual de(ilension among those 
who had embraced the doctrines of Menno Simon, and in order 
to renew these doctrines and re-establish that church, a few of 
tliem, among whom was their persevering friend and minister, 
John Herr, of Strasburg townsliip, united for that purpose, and 
in 1811, organized an association, now generally kntjwn by the 
name of the Reformed Mennoniles. Their number of minis- 
ters is small, and their members, though active, is still'compar- 
atively not large. They have two orders of ministers, bishops 
and ordinary ministers. Their bishops at present, in the 



LANCASTER COUNTY. ^ 463 

county, are the Rev'ds. John Herr, John Keeport, and Henry 
Bowman. Among their ordinary ministers are the Rev'ds. 
Abraham Landis, John Landis, Joseph Weaver, Abraham 
Snevely, Christian Resh, and Samuel Hershy. They preach 
English occasionally. They have three meeting houses; and 
hold meetings at eight or ten other stated places in the county. 

The Universalists. — There are comparatively few of thern 
in this county ; they have three places of public worship ; but 
at present they have no one that officiates in spiritual things. 

The Seceders. — The number known by this name is small 
in this county. They have one minister, the Rev. Easton, and 
two places of public worship. 

The United Brethren, or Vereinigte Brueder. — There are 
some of this respectable body in the county. We know neither 
the probable number of their ministers nor places of worship. 

The Church of God. — This denomination is of compara- 
tively recent origin. The name of " Church of Gnd,^^ was as- 
sumed by them about the year 1827 or '28. The church in the 
city was first gathered about the year 1820, under the ministry 
of the late Rev. John Elliott, who preached the gospel many 
years faithfully and with success, to an independent congrega- 
tion in the city. After he left, the church declined, till about 
the year 1841, when the Rev. John Winebrenner, V. D. M. of 
Harrisburg, Rev'ds Jacob Flake and Joseph Ross and others of 
the Eldership of the Church of God, held protracted meetings, 
when a number were revived and others awakened, and a deep 
interest manifested, and soon a congregation of one or tv/o 
hundred was organized. The Rev. Winebrenner, and their 
present pastor, the Rev. Jacob Flake, labored jointly in the 
city till lately. 

The number of ministers at present in the county, is five, 
riz: the Rev'ds J. Flake, J. H. Bomberger, J. Tucker, I. Bra- 
dy, J. Stamm. Their places of public worship, may range 
from twelve to fifteen in the county. Within the last few 
years they have erected several houses for public worship. 

The Calvanistic Baptists. — This denomination although 
characterized for their missionary enterprises, made no effort 
in this county to promulgate their views, and organize congre- 
gations, until within a few years, except in the southern part 
of the county, where a church has been built rising of twenty- 



464 HISTORY OP 

five years since. In the year 1935, the Rev. Leonard Fletcher, 
then stationed in Chester county, preached occasionally at 
Churchtown, and baptized a number of persons. Sometime 
about 1639, a member of that denomination, Gilbert Hills, late 
from Connecticut located in the city of Lancaster, at whose 
instance baptist ministers were invited to visit the place. The 
same year the Rev. Kingsford preached occasionally, and he 
was soon followed by others, among those were the the Rev'ds. 
Gillette,. Kennard, Babcock, Dodge, Keys, Woolsy, Fletcher, 
Dickinson, Dean, Brettell, Higgins, who organized a church in 
February, 1841 ; after which missionaries and visiting minis- 
ters preached — these were Rev. Shadrac, Miller, Burbank, 
Keys, Smith and Hendrickson. 

In the spring of 1843, the Baptists purchased a house for 
public worship in Lancaster, on Chestnut, near Duke street. — 
Their present pastor, October, 1843, is the Rev. Leonard 
Fletcher, of the American Baptist IMissionary Society. He 
and the Rev. Enos M. Philips of Colerain, are the only Baptist 
ministers in Lancaster county. They have three places of 
public worship. 

The Mokmons. — A few arc found in the county v/ho hold 
the views of this sect; and also some theoTeiicai Miller it es^ 
who are ready to ride into notice on every "cloud of novelty.'* 
These are hahcs in knowledge and piety, and fuU-groirn in the 
love of the world — ceaseless in schemes " to raise the wind.'* 
Besides these, there are also several African churches in the 
county. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 465 

CHAPTER XIII. 

GEOLOGY OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 

For an extended view of the Geology of the county, we 
must refer to the final report of the general survey authorized 
by the State government. 

In glancing over Mr. Scott's very beautiful and accurate map 
of Lancaster county, it will be seen that the surface is broken 
by irregular east and west ranges cf hills, no one of which can 
be properly styled a mountain. Commencing at the south, 
we find an extensive formation of primary stratified, or meta- 
morphic rocks, such as mica slate and talcose slate, the latter 
having garnets imbedded in it. These are quite abundant on 
the Susquehanna, below Pequea creek. Occasional patches 
of limestone* and clay slate occur, and the latter is extensively 
worked for roofing purposes, at a place called Slate-hill. — 
Ascending the river, we find the same formation extending to 
Turkey-hill, where it terminates, about two miles below the 
tillage of Washington, or about the fortieth parallel of latitude. 

The next rock in ascending order, is a close grained, very 
hard, siliceous sandstone, best seen at .the mouth of the Chic- 
quesalunga, between Columbia and Marietta, where it strikes 
the Susquehanna in a bold bluff upwards of three hundred feet 
in height. It is found at the opposite boundary of the county, 
and extending into Berks, forms the hill on the south side of 
Reading. A great deal of iron ore (argillaceous oxiJ and 
hematite) has been taken from the clay overlying this forma- 
tion, which although possessing some of the characters of the 
preceding, such as large veins of quartz, and traces of fel- 
spar and tourmalin, may probably be looked upon as the 
lowest of the transition, rather than the uppermost of the pri- 
iiiary stratified. This conclusion, however, could scarcely be 
attained from an examination of the rock, limited to our own 
localities. To understand it fully, it must be studied in tho 
state of New York. 

*Xwo miles below the mouth of the Conestoga, for example, 



466 HISTORY OF 

Next above this lies "formation number II" of the state- 
survey, including the tracts of limestone found in our valleys 
and level districts, and approaching the base of most of the 
larger hills, but seldom itself rising into ridges much above the 
general undulations of the surface. 

The northern border of the county is made up of a formation 
of red and grey shales, or soft slates, grits, and pudding stones, 
furnishing in some places a material suificiently hard and 
compact to afford an excellent material for mill stones. These 
are accordingly wrought out of the large detached fragments 
found upon the surface in Cocalico township. In several loca- 
lities the same formation has afforded indications of coal, but 
as it is entirely distinct from the great coal formation of the 
commonwealth, it is very probable that veins which can be 
advantageously worked, will never be discovered. Iron ore is 
of rather frequent occurrence, and we have met with indica- 
tions of copper. In several localities on the southern border 
of this series, the curious calcareous rock called Potomac 
marble occurs; namely, east of Bainbridge, and north of Man- 
heim. 

But the most interesting feature in the Conewago hills, 
is the large amount of weathered blocks upon the surface, of a 
liard grey stone made up of white and black particles. This is a 
trap rock of the variety called greenstone, and identical in 
composition with the smaller ridges which traverse different 
parts of the country, under the name of ironstone, a mineral 
remarkable for the sonorous ring produced when struck. The 
finer texture of the latter is produced by the rapid cooling of 
the material, consequent upon the comparatively small quan- 
tity of matter; this rock being of ig!ieous origin, and injected 
from below in a melted condition. In the Conewago rock 
the quantity of material is so great, that in the length of time 
required to solidify, the constituents were able to enter into 
combinations; or crystallize, in a manner; whence the felspar 
and hornblcnd appear in distinct particles. 

A flood sweeping across these hills, has carried large blocks 
of the rock for miles southward, and beyond the reach of the 
highest floods of the Susquehanna. That a powerful current 
swept over the country from the north-west, is proved by the 
additional fact that primary sienitic pebbles are found among 



LANCASTER COUNTr. 467 

tlie accumulations of gravel which must have been derived 
from the regions of the great lakes. 

Besides the ores of iron mentioned, the sulphuret occurs in 
detached cubic crystals, over a considerable portion of the 
surface ; galena, or sulphuret of lead, and plumbago, have 
been found in small quantities ; and chromate of iron and sul- 
phate of magnesia have been mined in the southern section of 
the county, for economical purposes; but as we possess no 
granitic rocks, our list of mineral species is much more meagre 
than those ol the counties lying more to the east. 



NATURAL HISTORY OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 



In giving a sketch of the Natural History of a single county, 
in a work of this character, it is of course necessary to com- 
press the matter as much as possible, as the zoology and botany 
would separately require volumes equal to the present one in 
size, were they to be discussed ai some length. Ourcollections 
have been made more with a view to the Natural History of the 
commonwealth at large, than to any particular county ; so 
that no care has been taken to prevent objects collected in 
other parts of the state from being intermixed with those now 
under consideration ; whence it has been necessary to omit the 
mention of some which may have been collected within our 
borders. 

A note of interrogation has been added to some species to 
indicate that the species may not be properly named, or may 
not occur within the boundary of the county. Thus among 
the fishes, not having been able to examine the trout found in 
our streams, we quote the name Saimo fontinalis with doubt; 
and Menopoma Alleghaniensis has been cited with a question, 
because this reptile has been caught in the Susquehanna some 
miles above the boundary line of the county. We have in- 
serted both species of " black-snake," not being certain which 
of the two occurs with us; but it is not improbable that we 
have them both. We have seen a green snake in the south-west- 



468 HISTORY OP 

em part of the county, but not having a specimen, are unable to 
name it with certainty. 

English names are given to such animals as have received 
them, and short notes have been added to some of the species 
to enable the reader to recognize them ; but it would have 
extended this article to too greata length to follow out this plan 
to any considerable extent. The objects are so numerous, 
that in most cases, a dry list of names must suffice ; as the 
reader who wishes to know more about the object themselves, 
must refer to works expressly devoted to their history. Some 
of these are noted at the foot of the pages ,• but unfortunately 
several of the more important branches are still uniilustrated, 
as the fishes and insects ; and much as works devoted to these 
branches are wanted, it is probable that little will be done until 
the necessity calls forth the patronage of legislative enact- 
ment, as in Massachusetts and New York. 

Our vertebrate animals, except the fishes, are pretty well 
known to naturalists, and the number of species found within the 
borders of the county, may be stated approximately as follows : 
Beasts, 39; Birds, 180; Reptiles, 40 ; Fishes, 50. 

Among the IMammalia, the Cervus Virginianus (deer) might 
have been included, as it sometimes crosses the Susquehanna 
from York county. The Lutra Canadensis (otter) is said to 
have inhabited the islands of the Susquehanna at an early 
day ; and within ten years, a species of wolf has c rossed the 
same river from the western side. 

But the greater part of the zoology of most countries, is that 
which takes cognizance of the Annulosa, including the exten- 
sive class of Ptilota or winged insects; the Arachnida, or 
spiders; the Crustacea, of which the crab and lobster are 
familiar examples, and of which class all our springs and 
atreams contain species, some of them so minute, as to be re- 
eognizcd with dilliculty by the naked eye ; and the class Ame- 
TOBOLA, represented by the centipedes found under stones and 
logs. 

Taking all these together, the number to be found in Lan- 
caster county, cannot fall short of six thousand species; the 
Ptilota or winged insects being the most numerous, and of 
these, the order Colcoptera (distinguished by having the wings 
folded under a pair of hard elytra) is the most extensive ; and 



LAlifCASTEIl cor NTT. 46S) 

^Ithoug-h they do not possess the brilliant beauty of the Lepi- 
doptera, or butterfly order, they have hitherto secured the prio- 
cipal attention of entomologists ; whence it happens that they 
are best known, and we have devoted more space to them than 
to the remaining orders. 

The Colcoptera deserve a careful study, as a knowledge of 
their habits will enable us to turn them to account in the de- 
struction of noxious species. Thus the genus Coccinella (la- 
dybug) feeds upon the Aphides or plant lice, so destructive to 
roses and other plants ; and in their larva state they may be 
found upon the leaves of useful vegetables, devouring small 
insects or grubs \vhich, when numerous, destroy the plants by 
eating the leaves. The Cecidomyia destructor (wheat fly) is 
extensively destroyed in the grub state, by the young of 
another minute insect. The carnivorous tribes are readily 
distinguishable from those which feed upon vegetable food ; 
and the greater number and variety of the former to be found 
in gardens and fields, the more likely will they be to destroy 
the noxious kinds, or to prevent their increase by the destruc- 
tion of their eggs. 

There can be no necessity in giving common names to ani- 
mals which have not already received them, as they can be just 
as well recognized by the scientific name. Common names are 
frequently local, and the same name is applied to different an- 
imals in diiferent parts of the country; whilst the scientific 
name, being that under which animals are described, are 
known in all parts of the world, whatever may be the language 
spoken. The English apply the name ground-hog to an Afri- 
can animal not at all like our ground-hog, which some authors- 
call by a name under which most people would not recognize 
it. One of our hawks is called a buzzard in England, and our 
buzzard a vulture. A mammal is called gopher in the vvest» 
and the same vulgar name is applied to a tortoise in the south. 
In a work upon North American birds, one author has called 
our Hirundo rufa (barn swallow) chimney swallow! doubtless 
because it is like the chimney swallow of England ; instead of 
preserving this name for the Chcetura pelasgia, which actually 
frequents chimneys. Bald eagle is the common name for Ha- 
Jiatceus leucocephalus throughout the United States, yet some 
people affectedly call it the whiteheaded eagle ! Thus it some- 

40 



470 HISTORY OP 

times happens that authors use neither the proper nor the 
common name of an animal, but adopt one, perhaps entirely- 
unknown to those best acquainted with it. 

The scientific appellation is the only true name of a plant or 
an animal, as no other will answer our principal purpose, that 
of giving a distinct name to every organized object. Nothing 
is gained by naming certain insects weavil, hammerbug or 
schnellkaefer, when there are more than a hundred different 
kinds of each in Pennsylvania, each of which has its proper 
name. We call an insect the rose bug, but this n ime will not 
enable us to discover the true appellation under which it may 
be found in European books, whether English, French or Ger- 
man. A little consideration upon this subject will convince 
any one that an animal or plant is not properly known until 
we are acquainted with its name, and every one interested in 
the study of zoology or botany, should endeavor to become 
familiar with the proper names. Naturalists themselves are 
often to blame in this matter, from a jealousy that the public 
at large will finally become as wise as themselves ; and they 
accordingly invent English names which they set forth in large 
capitals, so that the proper names will be less likely to attract 
attention. 



MAMMAIJA*— Beasts. 

Four species of bat occur in Lancaster county, viz : 
Vespertilio Carolinensis; chesnut brown above, yellowish 
beneath: V. Noveboracensis; reddish brown : V. pruinosus; 
fur dark, tipped with white: V. subulatus] Scalups Cana- 
densis; mole. Condylura macroura; star-nose mole. Sorex 
brcvicaudus; found along water courses, where it constructs 
burrows in the grass. Procyon lotor; the raccoon is not un- 
common in some parts of the county. Mustela erminea; de- 
scribed under this name by Godman, and usually called weasel. 
Mustela lutreola ; mink. Mephitis Americana; the skunk or 
polecat. Vulpes fulvus; red fox: V. cinereo-argentalus; grey 
fox. Didelphis Virginiana ; possum, incorrectly named o'pos- 

*Anicrican Natural History, by John D. Godman, 3 vols. 8 vo. plates. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 471 

sum in modern books. Fiber zibethicus ; muskrat. Arvicola 
xanthognatus ; meadow mouse : A. viparius; tail short, inhab- 
its marshes. Mus agrariusl Gerbillus Canadensis; kanga- 
roo, jumping mouse. Arctomys monax ; ground-hog. Sciu- 
ruscinereus; cat squirrel : S. Hudsonius; red squirrel: S. ni- 
ger? black squirrel. Tamias striata ; ground squirrel. Pter- 
omys volucella ; flying squirrel. Lepus sylvaticus ; rabbit. 



REPTILIA*— Reptiles. 

Testudinata. 

Cistuda Carolina; the color of the common land tortoise is 
yellow, mottled with dark brown or black. Emys geographica; 
shell 8 inches long, with a ridge along the back ; dark brown, 
with lighter, indistinct, irregular lines ; used as food, and usu- 
ally called terrapin. Emys Muhlenbergii ? 4 inches long, a 
large orange spot upon each side of the neck; doubtful as a 
native of this county. Emyspicta; 5 inches long, margin of 
the shell marked with red stripes, common in ponds and small 
streams, fond of reposing in the sun. Emys guttala; black, 
with small yellow spots, less than the preceding, with which it 
is frequently found. Emys insculpta ; yellow and black, each 
plate comprising the carapax or upper shell is roughened by 
concentric and radiating furrows, a b ack spot upon each plate 
of the sternum. E. rubriventris? sternum marked with red; it 
may be found in the lower parts of the Susquehanna. Sterno- 
thorus odoratus; length about 4 inches, dark brown, sternum 
very narrow, carapax oval, convex and smooth, chin with 
several small warts. Kinosternon Pennsylvanicum '? nearly 
resembles the preceding, but the sternum is wider, and separ- 
ated into three parts, not hitherto observed within the county. 
Emysaura serpentina; (snapper) head large, tail long and 
strongly serrated above; highly prized for "terrapin soup." 

Ophidia — Serpents. 

Coluber constrictor ; blacksnake : C. sipedon ; watersnake : 
C. sirtalis; gartersnake : C. saurita; gartersnake: C. septem- 

♦Holbrook's North American Herpetology. 5. vols, quarto. 



472 HISTORY OP 

Tittatusf! gartersnake: C. punctatus; greenish orange below, 
a jightTing around the neck: C. amsenus; light brown with 
Tiolet reflexions, head very small: C. eximius ; house-snake. 

The above species are at present included in several genera. 

Heterodon platlrhinus ; viper, harmless. Trigonocephalus- 
contortrix ; copperhead. 

Sauria — Lizards. 
Tropidolepis undulatus; inhabits woods, brown, mottled, 
scales very rough, tail long, active, innoxious. Scincus fascia- 
tus ; back with 5 yellow, stripes, tail blue. 



AMPHIBIA. 

Ranapipiens; bullfrog: R. halecina; shadfrog, green with 
black spots : R, sylvatica; woodfrog, reddish brown, 2 inches : 
R. palustris; brown, with rows of square dark brown spots, 3 
inches: R. gryllus ; 1 inch long. Hyla versicolor; trecfrog, 
treetoad. Bufo Americanus ; toad. Salamandra erythronota; 
S. cinereain : woods, under logs and stones: S. longicauda : 
S. maculata] S. fasciata] S. venenosal 



PISCES— Fishes. 

Of the fifty species of this class which are probably found 
in our waters, we are not prepared to give a complete list, as 
we have not yet compared the greater part of our specimens 
with authentic individuals from other states ; and we are there- 
fore in doubt as to the names they ought to bear. This remark 
applies particularly to the species first made known by Dr. 
Mitchill, and which were found in the w^atcrs of New York. 

The several dams in the Susquehanna, have nearly cut off 
the supply of the shad, so important an article in domestic 
economy, until a recent period, that families within twenty 
miles of the fisheries, thought it impossible to pass through a 
season unsupplied with a barrel of salted shad. 

Fishing is not conducted upon an extensive scale at present^ 
the seine being employed fur the shad and herring alone. ThQ 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 473 

former is sometimes caught by means of a large scoopnet, in 
such places where it is necessary for the fish to approach near 
the shore or a rock, to pass upwards. 

Angling is in considerable repute, and the out-line is fre- 
quently employed. This consists of a stout cord about a hun- 
dred yards long, to which the hooks are attached at intervals, 
by lines (or links) a yard long; the whole being stretched and 
anchored in a suitable place during the night. Live bait is em- 
ployed, and should be supplied from time to time to the hooks 
which have been stripped. 

Various species are abundantly caught in the fall of the year 
in fish-baskets, made of lathwork, with diverging walls of 
stones, leading from the entrance up the stream for one 
hundred or two hundred yards. In the shallow waters, fishes 
are speared or gigged by torch light ; the smaller streams are 
fished with a bow-net, into the mouth of which the fishes are 
driven by beating the water; and set-nets of a cylindrical 
shape, kept open by hoops, with an expanded mouth, and pro- 
vided with funnels to prevent the return of the prisoners once 
entered. These are set in dams, at the mouths of creeks in 
deep water, when suckers are principally caught; but when 
set in the Susquehanna, cattishes and sunfishes are usually 
taken. 

The published materials on the history of our fishes are scat- 
tered through many different works, and are inaccessible 
except to the professed naturalist. 

Perca lutea, Kafinesque ; (flavescens, Cuvier,) the yellow 
perch is common in the Susquehanna. Labrax lineatus, Lin ; 
rockfish: L. albus; Raf. (mucronatus, Cuv.) white perch. — 
Percina nebulosa; Hald : P. minima, (Ethcostoma Olmstedi, 
Storer.) Pomotis appendix, Mitchili ; black-eared sunfish:* 
P. auritus, Lin; (moccasinus, Raf.) yellow-eared sunfish. — 
Lucioperca Americana] Cuv.; salmon. Cottus viscosus, Hald.j 
(cognatus ? Rich.) resembles a small Pimelodus or catfish.— 
These nine species include all those which have spiny rays in 
the first dorsal fin, as far as we have been able to determine. 

Cyprinus cornutus; Mitchili — hornchub, and several other 
species. Catostomus cyprinus, Lesucur; carp, not allied to 
the European carp : C. maculosus, Les. ; stoneroller and some 

*These English names are also applied to certain marine fishes, 
40* 



474 HISTORY OF 

Others. Leuciscus corporalis; fall fish and several other 
species of chub. Exoglossum maxilingua, Les. ; remarkable 
for the manner in which the tongue projects, to form part of 
the lower jaw. Esox reticulatus, Les. ; pike. Bclone trun- 
catal Les.; green gar. Pimelodus; one or two species of 
catfish.* Nolurus; one species. Salmu fontinalis I Mitchill ; 
trout. The fish properly called salmon belongs to this genus, 
and has never been caught so farsouth as Pennsylvania. Alosa 
sapidissima, Wilson; shad. Clupea vernalis, Mitchill; her- 
ring. Lepisosteus osseus, Lin.; gar*. Anguilla ; one or two 
species of eel. Accipenser; one species of sturgeon. Pe- 
tromyzon Americanus, Les,; lampereel. Bdellostoma nigri- 
cans, Les. ; found attached to the shad. Ammocoites bicolor, 
Les. ; lives under sand and mud. 



COLEOPTERA. 

We commence with the Coleoptcia, because we intend to 
say but little on the remaining orders, otherwise it would have 
been proper tj begin the series with the Hymenontera, (inclu- 
ding bees, ants, wasps, &c.) which appear to stand at the head 
of the class. That the attention may be more particularly 
called to the insects themselves, we add a few notes on twenty 
species, such as may be readily recognised : 

Cicindela. This genus stands at the head of our carnivorous 
insects, and the species may be known by their bright colors, 
strong jaws, long leg?, the activity with which they run upon 
the bare ground, and the ease with which they take wing. 

Casnonia Pennsylvanica has the head and slender thorax 
black, and rather longer than the remainder of the body. The 
elytra (wing covers) are yellowish, each one with 3 black 
spots; 3-lU of an incli long. 

Galerita Americana; length i of an inch, head and thorax 
slender, the former black, the latter, with the legs yellowish 
brown, elytra blue-black. 

Brachinus fumans, half an inch long, greatly resembling the 
preceding, but the head is of the same color as the elytra; 

*ThcBC English r.aracs arc alto applitd to certain marine fishes. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 475 

when caught, h throws out a jet of vapor with a slight explosion, 

Scaritessubterraneus; an inch in length, black, with a strong 
p^ir of jaws, head and thorax as long as the hinder part, and 
somewhat wider — lives under logs. 

Calosoma scrutator ; length 1 1-4 inches, head black, thorax 
(pronotum) purple, margined with golden, elytra bright 
green, with a golden margin. 

Calosoma calidum ; length of the preceding, but much 
narrower, black, elytra striate, with numerous golden 
punctures. 

Agonum octopunctatum ; length 3-10 inches, active^ green, 
with four impressed punctures arranged in a line upon the in- 
ner margin of each elytron. 

Anorops obliquatus; half an inch long, short oval, dull black, 
except a small orange spot at the inner base of the elytra, 
punctured longitudinally — found in decayed wood. 

Diaperis maculata ; quarter of an inch long, oblong hemis- 
pherical, elytra light yellowish brown, with two black spots 
upon each, near the base, and a larger irregular spot towards 
the extremity, and upon the outer margin, head and thorax. 
black. 

Coprobius volvens ; (tumble-bug) is commonly seen in 
pairs rolling a ball of dung. A much larger insect, an inch 
long, black with the elytra coarsely furrowed, is named Copris 
Carolina, and is proportionally shorter than the Scarabaeus 
Jamaicensis, which is tinged with brown, the head of the male 
being armed with a long recurved horn ; a small species quar- 
ter of an inch long. 

Onthophagus Janus; has two straight, upright horns upon 
the head ; it is found in rotten fungi. 

Pelidnota punctata; is an inch long, of a brownish yellow, 
each elytron with three black spots, a similar spot on each 
side of the thorax ; found upon grape vines. Nearly allied, 
but without spots, is the Pelidnota lanigera, of a fine lemon 
yellow color. 

Macrodactyla subspinosa ; is the abundant and destructive 
rosebug or cherrybug. 

Crioceris trilineata; a common garden insect, quarter of an 
inch long, yellow, with three black, conspicuous, longitudinal 
lines upon the elytra, and two black dots upon the pronotum. 



476 HISTORY OP 

The nearly allied Galeruca vittata (cucumber bug) is smaller 
with narrower bands, and Galeruca 12-punctata, intermediate 
in size, is marked with three transverse rows of black dots, 
four in each row. 

Coccinella borealis, yellow spotted with black, the largest 
species of our ladybugs. 

The following is a list of the species captured principally 
within the last year, and of a number of them, but a single spe- 
cimen was taken. 

Cicindela punctulata: C. vulgaris: C. hirticoUis : C. sex- 
guttata: C. marginalis: C. purpurea: C. patruela. Casnonia 
Pennsylvanica. Galerita Americana. Brachinus fumans: B. 
alternans: B. curticollis: B. perplexus. Plochionus Bonfilsii. 
Cyminas pilosus: C. limbatus. Dromius piceus. Lebia atri- 
ventris : L. ornata: L. vittata: L. scapularis: L. viridis: L. 
pumila. Scarites subterraneus. Clivina quadrimaculata: C. 
morio: C. viridis. Sphoeroderus stenostomus. Carabus ser- 
ratus : C. ligatus. Calosoma scrutator: C. calidum : C. ex- 
ternus. Omophron labiatum. Elaphrus ruscarius. Notiophi- 
lus semistriatus: N. porrectus. Chkenius sericeus: C. oesti- 
vus: C. chlorophanus: C. emarginatus: C. nemoralis: C. to- 
mentosus. Dicajlus violaceus: D. dilatatus: D. simplex. Pa- 
nagaus fasciatus. Patrobus longicornis. Calathus gregariu?. 
Anchomenus extensicoUis. Agonum octopunctatum: A. cu- 
pripenne: A. punctiforme: A. excavatum. Poecilus chalci- 
tes: P. lucublanda. Omaseus stygica : O. complanata : O. 
politus: 0. morosa] Platysma adoxa. Amara basillaris : A. 
impuncticoUis: A. musculis. Daptus incrassatus. Bractylus 
exaratus. Agonoderus pallipes. Seienophorus troglodytes. 
Pangus caliginosus. Anisodactyluscarbonarius: A. agricolus: 
A. Baltimoriensis: A. rusticus. Harpalus faunus: H. bicolor: 
H. interstitialis : 11. dichrous: 11. herbivagus: II. tcrminatus. 
Stenolophus ochropegus. Acupalpus rupcstris. Bcmbidiuni 
coxendix: B. patruelum. Dyticus verticalis. Laccophilus 
maculosus. Haliphus immaculicoUis. Hydroporus lacustris. 
Cyclous Americanus. Ilydrophilus natator. Pcedcrus littora- 
rius. Pinophilus latipcs. Emus villosus: E. maculosus: E. 
cinnamopterus: E. angulatus. Stalious armatusl Buprcstis. 
Cholcophora Virginica. Dircera divaricata. Agrilus ruficol- 
lis. Chrysabothris scxsignata. Brachys ovata. Alaus ocula* 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 477 

tus. Limonius quercinus. Cardiophorus areolatus. Athous 
longicoUis. Steatoderusattenuatus. Ludius piceus: L. nem- 
nonius: L. bellus. Cratonychus communis. Dolopius sericens. 
Limonius cylindriformis. Oephorus dorsalis : 0. delectus: 
O. instabilis. Anomala pinicola. Omaloplia vespertina. Di- 
chelonycha hexagona. Macrodactyia subspinosa. Hoplia vi- 
rens. Trichius piger: T. affinis. Cetonia inda: C. fulgida. 
G-ymnetis nitlda. Lucanus capreolus. Passalus cornutus. — 
Capris Carolina: C. Ammon : C. anaglypticus. Coprcbius 
volvens. Phanceus carmifex. Onthophagus janus: 0. hecate. 
Scaraboeus tityus : S. satyrus. Pelidnota punctata: P. lani- 
gera. Pliyllophago ilicis : P. quercina: P. pilosicollis. Iph- 
thinus Pennsylvanicus : I. saperdoides : I. rufipes. Opatri- 
nus notum. Tenebrio obscurus. Uloma rubens. Diaperis 
Hydni. Anorops obliquatus. Helops vittatus: H. pullus. — 
Cisiela suturalis: C. fuscipes. Melandria striata: M. labiata. 
Pyrochroa flabellata. Mordella atrata : M. marginata. No- 
toxus monodon: N. bicolor. Athicus, 5 species. Scirtes sol- 
s;itialis. EUychma corusca : E. arcuata. Photuris versicolor. 
Epicauta marginita: E. vittala. Chauliognalhus bii^iiaculatus. 
Telephorus Carolina. Malachias cinctus. Anobium notatum : 
A. capitata. Cupes cinerea. Hister depurator: H. abbrevia- 
tus : H. 14 striatus : H. 12 lineatus. Necrophoriis grartdis: 
N. tomentosus : N. arbicoUis. Necrodes suiinamensis. Sil- 
pha Americana : S. marginalis: S. inequalis. Hololepta acqua- 
lis. Platysoma sordid um. Nitidula colon. Ips 4 maculosa. 
Dermostes lardarius. Attagenus cylindricornis. Anthrenus 
niger. Parnus fastigiatus. Bruchus pisi. Piiyllobius ticnia- 
tus. Hylobius pales : H. picivorus. Sixus scrobicollis. Cra- 
toparis lunatus. Balamirus nasicus. Prionus brevicornis: P. 
cylindricus. Cerasphorus cincius. Clytus flexuosus : v. ery- 
throcephalus: C. colonus.- C. obliquus, Kn. pallialus, H: C. 
mucronatus 1 C. picipes, Hylotrupes bajulus. Monochamu- 
iius pini. Molorchus bimaculatus. Tetraopes tornator. Sa- 
perda lateralis: S. tripunctata. Strangaiia luteicornis. Lep- 
tura 4 vittata. Uroplata quadrata: U. naturalis. Cassida cia- 
A'ata. Chlanys plicata. Celaspis ovatus. Chrysomela trimacu- 
culata: C. scalaris. Galeruca vittata: G. 12-punctata. Systena 
striolata. Oedionchus vians. Disonychiacollaris. Zygogramraa 
pulchra. Craptoderaerythropoda. Phratorasaneus. Triplaxhu-* 



478 HISTORY OF 

meralis. Coccinella borealis : C. 9-notada: C. 10-maculata: C, 
20-macLilata: C. tibialis: C. parenthesis : C. munda: C. abre- 
viata. Cheilocorus stigma, 

Orthoptera. 

Gryllotalpa brevipennis ; mole cricket. Acheta abbreviata ; 
cricket. Pterophylla concavus ; katydid. Locusta Carolina ; 
our largest grassliopper. L. viridifasciata. 

Hemiptera. 

Halys arborea, Say. Cylnus bilineatus, Say. Berrytus 
spinosLis, S. Mysdochus serripes, Latr. Syrtes erosa. Tingis, 
four species including T. elongata, Say, first observed in Mis- 
souri; it is found upon Baptisia tinctoria in June. Galgulus 
oculatus. Belostoma Americana. Cicada pruinosa ; locust. 
C. septendecim ; 17-year locust. Membracis bimaculatis, F : 
M. accuminata, F : M. vau, Say : M. calva, say. 

Neuroptera— Dm^o??//^^, ^e. 

Aeshna vinosa, Say. Libellula pulchella : L. Turnaria, Say : 
L. Lydia. Corydalis cornutus, L. Chauliodes pectinicornis, 
L. Piiryganea semifasciata, S. 

Hymenopetra. 

Tremcx columba, L. Pelicinus polycerator. Pimpla atrata, 
F. Trogus fulvus. Odynerus quadricornis. Polistes fuscata, 
L; wasp. Vespa maculata, L; hornet. Leucospis fraterna. 

Lfpidoptera — Butterjlies. 

Papilio Turnus: P. glaucus: (female of the former.) P. 
Philenor: P. Asterius: P. Triolus: Ajax. 

DiPTERA — Two-icingcd Jlies. 

Midus filatus. Sphyracephalabrevicornis. Conops sagitta- 
ria. Tabanus atratus. 



LANCASTER COUNTr. 47^ 



MOLLUSCA. 



The mollusca constitute a class of animals which includes 
all our land and freshwater shells ; but as the county is out of 
the influence of salt water, and not even touched by the tide ; 
we are without any of the more beautiful species which occur 
in the sea alone. This, however, should not lead us to neglect 
these humble creatures, for they, as well as the most highly 
organized, have had their station given to them in the great 
scheme of creation. 

Those which construct a univalve shell, are the most highly 
organized, and include the so called snails, whether of the 
land or water. These move about slowly upon a disk called 
the foot, in search of their vegetable food ; and instantly re- 
tract themselves within their spiral shell, upon being distur- 
bed. The bivalve species are enclosed in a pair of valves, 
lined by the mantle of the animal, and closed by two strong 
transverse muscles, thus differing from the genus Ostrea 
(oyster) the valves of which are closed by a single muscle. 
Upon each side of the body of the animal are two long flaps, 
which are the gills, and the water is admitted by two siphons 
projected a little, from the upper and hinder part of the shell. 
The animal moves with the open margin of the shell turned 
down into the sand, and dravrs itself forward, making a furrow 
as it advances by means of its foot, with which the oyster is 
not provided, as it never moves from the place to which it was 
first attached. The freshwater univalve shells have two tenta- 
cles projecting from the head, and are divided into those which 
breathe water, and those which breathe air; the former have 
the eyes situated upon an enlargement of the outside base of 
the tentacles ; whilst in the latter, they are upon the head, near 
the inside of these organs. At the head of our Mollusca, the 
genus Melania may be placed. It contains but a single spe- 
cies, Melania Virginica, which occurs throughout the Susque- 
hanna, and in many of the larger streams. The shell is an inch 
long, with eight or ten turns ; the color green, with two spiral 
reddish bands, in some individuals. With this species occurs 
another belonging to the allied genus Ancuiosa, and called, 
from the dissimilarity of the various individuals, Areculo,^'a dis- 
similis. Length half an inch. 



4B0 history of 

In the genus Paludina, the head is much smaller, and the 
foot much larger, than in Melania. Two species are found in 
some parts of the Susquehanna, the larger one, Paludina 
decisa, having a short smooth light green shell, nearly an inch 
long, whilst that of the other is smaller, rough with transverse 
spiral lives, of a dull light green color, and \vith a rounder 
Rperture. 

Amnicola presents a shell which is a miniature representa- 
tion of Paludina. Amnicola limosa is one eighth of an inch 
long, and resembles Paludina decisa, but the aperture is pro- 
portionally wider. Amnicola lustrica is of the same size, but 
is more nearly globular, the aperture is circular, and the base 
of the shell presents an opening. Amnicola granum resem- 
bles the latter, and is our smallest freshwater shell, being less 
than the one twentieth of an inch in length. 

Valvata TRicARiNATA is our only representative of this ge- 
nus, which is distinguished by the circular aperture and open 
base. 

The members of the family of freshwater univalve shells 
called Phisadae, though they live in waters of ponds and small 
streams, breathe free air, and are therefore compelled to come 
to the surface to breathe, which is effected by opening a 
small aperture to admit the air. The shells are thin and deli- 
cate, and of uniform tints. Physa heterostropha is extensively 
distributed over the United States, and is our only species in 
this genus, which has the peculiarity of having the turns of the 
shell reversed, or turned in a contrary direction from most 
spiral shells. Nearly allied is the genus Limnea, of which we 
have the following species; L. palustris ; shell brown, oblong 
conic, with six whirls, the surface frequently marked with 
irregular elevated lines — length about an inch. It is a Europe- 
an species, but those of this country were named L. elodes, by 
Say, under the impression of their being a distinct species. 

L. desidiosa ; a light yellowish delicate shell, growing to the 
length of 3-4 of an inch, and presenting numerous varieties. 

L. caperata ; very dark brown, approaching to blackish, 
Sliell covered with fine spiral elevated lines, 3-4 of an inch 
long. 

L. humilis ; shell ovate-conic, short and inflated, less than 
half an inch long. A slender variety, considered a distinct 
.'::pecies by some authors; has been named L. medicella. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 481 

Planorbis is a genus in which the shell is a flattened discoid 
spiral; the most common species throughout the country being 
Planorbis bicarinatus. A small species, P. parvus, is more 
rarely found within our limits, and may be recognized by its 
small size, being less than a quarter of an inch in diameter, 
and by its compressed form. 

In the remaining genus of the family Physadas, the shell is 
not spiral, but has an oval conical shape, like a shallow cup., 
being a minute representation of the shell of the marine genus 
Patella. It may be found attached to stones under water. — 
The only species observed within the county is named Ancy- 
lus rivularis. 

HELICID.E, 

The land snails have four tentacles, the principal or upper 
pair, bearing undeveloped eyes upon their summits, and pos- 
sessing a peculiar structure, by means of which they can be 
withdrawn ; being tubular, the extremity turns inwards, when 
the whole tentacle follows. Snails live under bark, logs and 
stones, our species seldom moving abroad, except in wet 
weather, or during the night. Our largest species is named, 
from the broad white lip of the shell. Helix albolabris. The 
next in size, and nearly like the preceding, is H. thyroidus, dis- 
tinguished by a white projection or touth, upon the inner side 
of the aperture. 

Helix trideiitata; shell depressed, base open, lip white, with 
two teeth, opposite to v/hich, on the inner side, is a third large 
curved tooth ; length three-fourths of an inch. 

Helix concava; shell polished, base very open, aperture 
nearly circular, the lip expanded. 

Helix alternata; shell nearly an inch in size, open below, 
lip sharp ; color yellowish brown, mottled with reddish bands 
lines of growth coarse. 

Helix hirsuta may be recognised by the rough exterior, and 
the narrow, radiating aperture, which is closed up in such 
a manner by a large tooth, that one might suppose it difficult 
for the animal to pass ; shell less than half an inch. 

I have observed the following species of Helix within our 
borders, together with several others which may have been 
collected in the neighboring counties : 

Helix albolabris ; H. thyroidus ; H. alternata; H. concava; 
41 



482 HISTORY OF 

H. palliata'? H. fuliginosa ; H. hirsuta ; H. pulchella; H. in- 
dentata ; H. electrina"! H. labyrinthica. 

1 have found Succinea obliqua upon the islands in the Sus- 
quehanna, opposite to Washington. The shell presents a 
strong resemblance to some of the forms of Limnea colum- 
ella, a species which will probably be detected hereafter in 
this county, as it occurs in other parts of the state, as in the 
vicinity of Philac'olphia, and in York county. 

UNI0NID.E. 

This family includes all our large bivalve shells, usually 
celled mussles. 

Unio is the principal genus, and contains the greatest num- 
ber of species. It is known by having one or two short, robust 
teeth at the hinge, and behind them one or two others, which 
are flat and blade-shaped; the former are called cardinal — the 
latter lamdlar teeth. 

Alasmodon wants the lamellar teeth, and 

Anodon is without either kind. The following species in- 
habit the Susquehanna and branches: 

Unio cariosus; shell straw yellow, 3 or 4 inches. U. radia- 
tus; covered with broad green bands, 4 or 5 inches. U. com- 
planatus ; compressed, dull brown, inside frequently purple ; 
young sometimes rayed ; extremely variable in form ; our 
most common species, 3 inches. U. viridis; a small, fragile, 
brown or green, rayed species, with the cardinal teeth com- 
pressed, and very variable ; usual length 1^ inch. 

Alasmodon undulatus; dark brown, rayed, a very robust 
tootli in each valve, 11 inch. A. marginatus; green, rayed; 
^cardinal tooth small and thin ; posterior extremity of the shell 
truncated ; 2 inches. 

Anodon cataractus; bright green, rayed; delicate, 4 or 5 
inches. 

Anodon undulatus; dark brown, hinges slightly thickened, 
having a tendency to form a slight pair of teeth, 2 or 3 inches. 
JBec Conrad's work for information upon this family ; Binney's 
on those of the land, and Haldeman's on the frcslnvater uni- 
Talve species. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 488 



CHAPTER XIV. 



A CATALOGUE 

OF THE 

FILICOID AND FLOWERING PLANTS 

OF 

LANCASTER COUNTY, PENN. 



AREANGED IN CONFORMITY WITH ENDLICHER'S 
GENERA PLANTARUM. 



The following attempt to enumerate the Filicoid and Flower- 
ing Plants of Lancaster county, is based upon the Index Florat 
Lancastriensis of that eminent B(Jtaiiist, the late Rev. Dr. 
Muhlenberg; adding thereto, such species as have been since 
ascertained to grow in the county, — or which, being found ia 
the adjacent county of Chester, may be safely enumerated 
among the Lancaster Plants. The List is, unquestionably, still 
incomplete ; but it was thought better, generally, to omit 
plants of doubtful habitat, rather than to insert them on mere 
conjecture. A few species, however, have been included, as 
probable natives, — with a mark of doubt []] prefixed. 

By the arrangement in Natural Families, it will be perceived 
that kindred plants are grouped together according to their 
structural and other alfinities; thereby rendering the investiga- 
tion of them more interesting to the Student,— as well as afford- 
ing a clue to their economical properties. The most usual 
common, or English Name, is annexed to such Species as have 



484 



HISTORY OF 



acquired a popular designation — so far as the same is known 
to the Compiler. 

O^The numerals prefixed to the Generic Names, refer to 
\\\enumher of the Genws, in Endlicher's great work ; and, for 
the sake of ready distinction, the names of those plants which, 
are cultivated for useful pur jjoses^ are printed in italic. 



REGlOnCORMOPHYTil 

Sectio III. Acrobrya. 
Cohors II. Prolophyta, 

CLASSIS VI. EQUISETA. 

ORDO XXV. EQUISETACEAE. 

601 Equisetum, L. 
sylvaticum, L 

hyemale, L. Scouring Rush, 
arvense, L. Horse-tail, 
fluviatile, LI 
CLASSIS VII. FILICES. 

ORDO XXVI. POLYPODIACEAE. 

Suh ordo I. Polypodieae, 
615 Poly podium, L. 

vulgare^ L 

hexagonopterum, Mx 

Phegopteris, L 
618 Clieilaiithcs, Sw. 

vestita, Willd 
620 Adiantum, L. 

pedatum, L. Maiden's Hair. 
622 Pteris, L. 

atropurpurea, L [en. 

aquilina, L. Brake, or Brack- 

caudata, L 

628 Strutliiopteris, Willd. 
Pennsylvanica, Willd 

629 Oiioclea, L. 
sensibilis, L 

630 Asplenium, L. 
rhizophvUiim, Willd 
anguslifuliiim, Mx 
ebcneum, Willd 
Trichumanes, L 
thelyptcrioides, Mx 
Kuta-muraria, L 



639 Nephrodium, Rich. 
acrostichoides, Mx 
thelyptcrioides, Mx 
maiginale,Mx 
bulbiferum, Mx 
asplenioides, Mx 
tenue, Mx 

640 Aspidiiim, Sw. 
Thelypteris, Willd 
Lancastriense, Spreng 

644 Dicksonia, Herit. 

pilosiuscula, Willd 
646 Woodsia, R. Br. 

Ilvensis, R. Br 

l^ufidula, Beck 

Pcrriniana, Hook & Gror 

ORDO XXX. OSMUNDACEAE. 

665 Osmunda, L. 
interrupta, Mx 
spectabilis, Willd 
cinnamomca, L 

ORDO XXXII. OPIIIOGLOSSEAE. 

671 Ophioglossum, L. 

vulgatum, L 
674 Botrychiiiin, Sw. 

fumarioidcs, Willd 

dissectum, Willd 

Virgiiiictim, Sw 
CLASSIS IX. SELAGINES. 

ORDO XXXV. ISOETEAE. 

693 Isoetes, L. 
lacustris, L 

ORDO XXXVI. LYCOPODIACEAB 

696 Lycopodiuin, L. 
clavatum, L. Club Moss 
complanatum, L 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 



485 



dendroideum, Mx 
alopecLiroides, L 
rupestre, L 
apodiim, L 
lucidulum, Mx 

Sectio IV. AiMphi- 
brva. 

CLASSIS XII. GLUMACEAE. 

ORDO XLII. GRAMINEAE. 

Tribus I. Oryzeae. 
728 Leersia, Solaiid. 

oryzoides, Svv. Cut-Grass 

Virginica, Willd 
731 liydrociiloa, Beauv. 

aquatica, Beauv. Water Oats 
Tribus II. Plialaridcae. 
742 Zea. L. 

Mays, L. Indian Corn 
141 Alopeciimsj L. 

pratensis, L 
750 Pideiim, L. 

pi'atense, L. Timothy 

753 Phalaiis, L. 
aruiidinacea, L 

754 Hok'us, L. 
lanatus L. Feather-grass 

755 Hierochloa, Gmel. 
borealis, Roem & Schult 

756 Anthoxantlium, L. 
oderatum, L 

Tribus III. Paniceae. 
761 Paspaluin, L. 

filifurme, S\v 

laeve, Mx 

setaceum, Mx 
770 Pauicum, L. 

sanguinale, L 

glabram, Gaud 

agrotoides, Muhl 

proliferum, Lam 

virgatum, h 

dichotomum, 

nitidum, Lain 

microcarpum, Muhl 

ancups, Mx 

capillarc, L 

latifolium, L 



clandestuTum, L 
rectum, Koem & Schult 
778 Oplismeiius, Beauv. 

Crus Galli, Kunth 
781 Peniiisetum, Rich, 
glaucum, R Br. Foxtail Grass 
viride, i{ Br. Bottle Grass 
verticillatum, K Br 
Italicwm, H Br var. g. Kunth, 
Millet 
Tribus IV. Stipaceae. 
798 Stipa, L. 
avenacea, L 
801 Aristida, L. 
dichotoma, Mx 
stricta^ Mx * Poverty Grass 
Tribus V. Agrostideae. 
803 Muhienbergia, Schreb. 
diifusa, Willd 
Wildenowii, Trin 
sylvatica, Gray 
aristata, Pers 
Mexicana, Trin 
sobolifera, Trin 
SOS Cinna, L. 

arundinacoa, L 
S0.9 S[)oroboius, R. Br. 

Virgiiiicus, Kunth 
810 Agrostis, L. 
vulgaris, Sm. Herd's Grass 
laxitiora, Richards 
coriiucopiae, Fras 
Tribus VI. Aruttdinaceae. 
817 Calama^Tostis, Adaiis. 
Canadensis, Beauv 
coarctata, Torr 
824 Piira2;rnitevS, Trin. 
communis, Trin 
Tribus VIII. Chlornideae. 
841 Elcusine, Gaertn. 
Indica, Gaertn. Dog's tail 
Grass 

846 Spartiua, Schreb. 
cynosuroides, Willd 

847 Eulriana, Trin. 
curtipcndula, Trin 

Tribus IX. Avcnaceae. 



41* 



486 



HISTORY OP 



857 Descliampsia, Beauv. 

cespitosa, Beauv 
859 Aira, L. 

flexuosa, L 
863 Trisetum, Kuiith. 

Pennsyivanicum, Trin 
S64 Aveua, L. 

sativa, L. Common Oats 

palustris, Mx 
865 Arrheiiatherum, Beauv. 

avcnaceum, Beauv. Oat-Grass 

871 Danthoiiia, DC. 
spicata, Roein & Schult 

872 Uralepis, Nutt. 
cuprca, Kunth 

Trihus X. Fcstucaceae. 
876 Poa, L. 

pilosa, L 

hirsuta, Mx 

capillai-is, L 

Eragrostis, L 

reptans, Mx 

annua, L [Grass 

trivialis, L. Rough Meadow 

p rale n sis. L. Green Grass 

compressa, L. Blue Grass 

pungens, Nutt 
878 Glyccria, R. Br. 

fluitans. H. Br 

Miehauxii, Kunth 
880 Eaton ia, Raf. 

truncata, [ci\ Trisetum] 
883 Briza; L. 

media, L 

Canadensis, Mx 
887 Melica, L. 

speciosa, Muhl 
892 J)actylis, L. 

glomcrnta, L. Orchard Grass 
899 Fc-tuca, L. 

Tenella Willd 

duriuscula, L 
Prate nsis, Herds, Fescue 
clatior, L 
nuians, Sprcng 
eOO Jiroiuiis, T^. 
secalinus, L. Cheat. Chess 



arvensis, LI (cfr. mollis) 
purgans, L 
ciliatus, L 
pubescens, Muhl 
902 Uniola, L. 
latifolia, Mx 

Trihus XI. Hordeaceae. 

912 Lolium, L. 
perenne, L. Rye grass 

913 Triticum, L. 

vulgare, Vill. Wheat. (Several 

varieties cultivated) 
Spelt a, L. Spelt 
Polnnicum, L. Polish Wheat 
repens, L. Couch grass 

914 Secale, L. 
cereale, L. Rye 

915 Elymus," L. 
Canadensis, L 
striatus, Willd 
villosus, Muhl 
Virgin icus, L 

916 Gymnosticlium, Sclireb. 
Hystrix, Schreb 

917 Hordouin, L. 
vulgare, L. Barley \ley 
distichum, L. Two-rowed Bar-' 
Trihus XII. Rottboelliaceae. 

930 Tripsacum, \j. 

dactyloides, L. Gama Grass 
Trihus XIII. Andropogoneae. 
950 Aiidropogoii, L. 

Kcoparius, Mx. Indian Grass 

furcatus, Muhl 

macrourus, Mx 

Virginicus, L 

Sorghum, Brot. Indian Millet 

cermnis, Roxb. Guinea Corn 

hico/or, |{oxb. Chocolate Corn 

saccharatus^ Roxb. Broom 
Corn 

avenaceus, Mx. Indian Grass 

ORDO XLIII. CVPEllACEAE. 

Trihus I. Cariceae. 
957 Carcx, L. Sedge, 
rosea, Schk 
cephalophora, Muhl 
sparganioides, Muhl 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 



487 



Muhlenbergii, Schk 
vulpinoidea, Mx 
muliiflora, Muhl 
bromoides, Schk 
slellulata, Good 
scoparia, Schk. (and var) 
festucacea, Schk 
cristata, Schw 
straminea, Schk 
cespitosa, L 
acuta, L 
crinita, Lam 
polytrichoides, Muhl 
pedunculata, Muhl 
"^squarrosa, L 
hirsuta, Willd 
virescen?, Muhl 
gracillima, Schw 
"JDavisii, Schw. & Torr 
lanuerinosa, Mx 
vestita, Willd 
Penusvlvanica, Lam 
pubescens, Muhl 
laxiflora, Lam 
Granularis, Muhl 
anceps, Muhl 
oligocarpa. Schk 
deb ills, Mx 
intumescens, Rudge 
lupulina, Muhl 
tentaculata, Muhl 
bullata, Schk 
resicaria, L 
trichocarpa, Muhl 
lacrestris. Willd 
! scab rata, Schw 
hystericina, Muhl 
pseudo-cyperus, L 
miliacea,'i\Iuhl 
umbellata, Schk 

Tribus III. Sderieae. 
964 Scleria, Berg, 
pauciflora, Muhl 
triglomerata, Mx 
? verticillata, Muhl 
Tribus IV. Rhynchosporeae. 
967 Rhynchospora, Vahl. 
cymosa, Nutt 
alba, Vahl 
'Jcapiilacea, Torr 



' Glome rata, Vahl 

Tribus VIII. Fuireneac. 

998 Fimbristylis, Vahl. 
Baldwitiiana, Torr 

1 spadicca, Vahl 
autumnalis, !<oem. & Schult 
Tribus IX. Scirpeae, 

999 Isolepis, R. Br. 
subsquarrosa, Schrad 
capillaris, lloem & Schult 

1000 Scirpus, L. 
planifolius, Muhl 
de bills, Pm-sh 
lacustri.s, L. Bull Rush 
triquetcr, L. Chairmaker'* 

Hush, 
atrovirens, Muhl 
brunneus, Muhl 
i palustris, L 

intermedius, Muhl 
obtusus, Wdld 
acicularis, L 
tenuis, AVilld 

1001 Eriophoriim, L. 
Virginicum, L 
angustifulium, Rich 
cyperiaum, L 
lincatum, EndM 

7 rib us X Cypereae. 

1002 Dulichium, Rich, 
spathaceum, Pcrs 

1003 Cyperus, L. 
diandrus, Torr 
strigosus, L 

^ re pens, Ell 
filiculmls, Vahl 
dentatus, Torr 
inflexus, Muhl 
ovularis, Torr 
erythrjrhyzos, Muhl 
retrofractus, EndP 
CLASSIS Xfll ENANTIO- 
BLASTAE. 

ORDO XLVII. XYRIDEAE. 

1025 Xyris, L. 
Caroliniana, Walt 

ORDO XLVIII. CO.AIMELYliA- 
CEAE. 



488 



HISTORY OP 



1031 Tradescaiitia, L. 
Virainica, L. Spiderwort 
CLASSISXIV. HELOBIAE. 

ORDO XLIX. ALISMACEAE. 

1041 Alisma, .hiss. 
Plantago, L. Water Plantain 

1042 Sagittaria, L. 
sagittaefulia, L. Arrow-head 
heterophylla, Pursh 

CLASSIS XV. CORONARIAEJ 

ORDO LI. JUNCACEAE. 

1047 Luzula, DC. 

pilosa, Willd 

campt'stris, Willd 
1049 J uncus, DC. 

eftusus, L. Soft Rush 

setaceus, Uostk 

tenuis, Willd 

nodosLis, L 

marginatus, Rostk 

buf'oiiius, L 

acuminatus, Mx 

polycephalus, Mx 

ORDO LIII. MELANTHACEAE 

1066 Helonias, L. 
dioica, Pursh. Blazing Star 

1066 Ainiaiithiuiii, A. Gray, 
laetum, A. Gray 

1067 Veratiuiii, Tounief. 
viride, Ait. Indian Poke. 

1067 Ltninanthium, Willd. 

Yirginicum, Willd 
lOSOUvuiaria, L. 

perfoliata, L 

sessilifolia, L 

ORDO LIV. PONTEDERACEAE. 

1087 lletcraiUheraj Ruiz & 
Pavon. 

renifurmis, Ruiz & Pav 
graminca, Vahl 

1088 Pontedcria, L. 
cordata, L 

ORDO LV. LILTACEAE. 
Suh ordo I. Tulipaceae. 
1090 Krythroiiiuni, L. 
Amcricanum, Sm 



1 albidum, Nutt 
1098 Lilium, L. 

Philadelphicum, L 

Canadensc, L 

supcrbum, L 

Sub ordo IV. AspJiodeleae, 
Tribiis I. Hyacinthcae. 
1132 Oriiithogaium, Link 

umbcUatum, L. Ten o'clock 
1137 Allium, L. 

Canadense, L 

vineale, L. Crow Garlic 

tricoccum. Ait 

Po7'rum, L. Leek 

sativum, L. English Garlic 

schof^noprasum, L. Chives 

Cepa, L. Onion 

Tribus II. Anthericcae. 
1143 Hemerocallis, L. 

fulva, L. Day Lily 
Tribus III. Asparageae. 
1164 Asparagus, L. 

ojjicinalis, L. Asparagus. 

ORDO LVI. SMILACEAE. 

Tribus I. Parideae. 

1177 Trillium, Mill, 
pendulum, Muhl 

1 erectum, L 

1178 Mcdeola, Gronov. 
Virginica, L. 

Tribus II. Convallarieae. 
1181 Polygonatum,Tournef. 
multifloruin, Desf 
angustifulium, Pursh 
1 pubescens, Pursh 

1183 Smilacina, Dcsf. 
bifolia, Ker 

1 steliata, Desf. 
raccmosa, Desf 

1184 Smilax, Tournef. 
rotundifolia, L. Green Briar 
caduca, L 

hcrbacea, L. Carrion flower 
] pcduncularis, Muhl 
CLA.SSIS XVI. AKTOKIflZEAE. 
ORDO LVII. DIOSCOREAE. 

1201 Dioscorea, Plum. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 



489 



villosa, L 
CLASSIS XVII ENSATAE. 

ORDO LIX. HYDROCHARIDEAE. 

Tribus I. Anacharideae. 
1206 Udora, Nutt. 
Canadensis, Nutt 
Tribus II. Valisnerieae. 
1209 Valiisneria, Michel, 
spiralis, L. Eel-grass 

ORDO LXI. IRIDEAE. 

1220 SisyrinchiuiTij L. 

mucronatum, Mx 

anceps, Cavan 
1226 Iris, L. 

versicolor, L 

ORDO LXII. IIAEMODORACEAE. 

1259 Aletris, L. 
farinosa, L 

ORDO LXIII. HYPOXIDEAE. 

1264 Hypoxis, L. 

erecta, L. Star of Bethlehem. 
CLASSIS XVIII. GYMNAN- 
DRAE. 

ORDO LXVI. ORCHIDEAE. 
Sub or do I. Malaxideae. 
1335 Microstytis, Nutt. 
ophioglossoides, Nutt 

1339 Coral lorhiza, Hall, 
verna, Nutt 
odontorhiza, Nutt 
muliiflora, Nutt 
hyemalis, L. Adam & Eve 

1340 Liparis, Rich, 
lilifolia, Rich 

Sub ordo IV. Ophrydcae. 
1509 Gyiiinadenia, li. Br. 

tridentatd, Lindl 
1515 Piatanthera, Rich. 

orbiculata, Lindl 

herbiola, Lindl [non L 

lacera, (psychedas, Lindl) 

psychodes, (fimbriata, Lindl) 

1 incisa, Lindl 

1 iissa, Lindl 

ciliaris, Lindl 

1517 Peristy lus, Blum. 



bracteatus, Lindl 

'! virescens, Lindl 
1525 Habeiiaria, Willd. 

spectabilis, Spreng 

Sub ordo VI. Neoitieae. 
1547 Spiranthes, Rich. 

turtilis. Rich 

cernua, Rich 
1559 Goodyera, R. Br. 

pubescens, K Br 
Sub ordo VII. Arethuscae, 

1600 Calopogon, R. Br. 
pulchellus, R Br 

1601 Pogoiiia, Juss. 
ophioglossoides, Ker 
verticillata, Nutt 
pendula, Spreng 

1602 Arethiisa, Groiiov. 
bulbosa, L 

Sub ordo VIII. Cypripedieae. 
16 IS Cypripediuiii, L. 
candidum, Willd 
pubescens, S\v. Noah's Ark 
1 spectabile, S\v 
acaule. Ait 
CLASSIS XX. FLUVj ALES. 

ORDO LXXI. NAIADEAE. 

1655 Can lima, Willd. 

flexilis, Willd 

Mragilis, Willd 
1664 Potamogetoii, L. 

natans, L 

perfoliatus, L 

lucen-;, L 

compressus, L 

pauciflorus, Pursh 
1668 Leniiia, L. 

trisulea, L 

minor, L. Duckmeat 

polvrhiza, L 
CLASSIS XXI. SPADICIFLO- 
IIAE. 

ORDO LXXII. AROIDEAE. 

1676 Arum, L. 

dracontium, L 

triphylium, L. Indian Turnep 
1685 Peltaudra, Raf. 



490 



HISTORY OF 



Virginica, Raf 
1705 Symplocarpiis, Salisb. 

foetida, Nutt. Skunk cabbage 
170G Orontiiiin, L. 

aquaticum, L. Golden club 

1708 Acotus, L. 
calamus, L. Calamus 

ORDO LXXIII. TYPHACEAE. 

1709 Typha, Tournef. 
latifolfa, L. Cat-tail 

1 augustifulia, L 

1710 Sparganiiim, Tournef. 
Americaniim, Nutt. Bur-reed 
1 ramosum, Sm 

Sfclio V. AcB*aiii|»hi- 

Coltorsl. Gil mnospf mine 

CLASSIS XXIII. COIMIFE- 
RAE. 

ORDO LXXVI. CUPRESSIXAE 

1789 Juniperus, L. 
communis, L. Juniper 
Vlrginiana, L. Red Cedar 

ORDO LXXVII. ABIETINAE. 

1795 Pinus, L. 
inops. Ait. Scrub Pine 
rigida, L 

Stiobiis, L. White Pine 
CanadcMisis, L. Plemlock 
Spruce 

ORDO LXXVIII. TAXINEAE. 

1799 Taxus Tonrnef. 
"? Canadensis, Wilid. Yaw 
f'o'fors ff. Jl^ypiaUtf. 

CLASSISXXIV. PIPERITAE. 

OKDO LXXXII. SAURUREAE. 

1824 Saururu^, L. 

cernuus, L. Lizard's tail 
CLASSIS XXV. AQUATICAE 

ORDO LXXXllI. CKRATOFiiYLLEAE 

1829 Cerato])hylluin, L. I 
demersum, L 

ORDO LXXXIV. CALLITRICIIINAE. 

1830 Callitriclie, L. 
verna, L. (and van^) 

ORDO LXXXV. PODOSTEMMEAE. 



1832 Podostemon, Rich. 

ceratophyllum, Mx 
CLASSIS XXVI JULIFLO- 
RAE. 

ORDO LXXXVII. MYRICEAE. 

1839 Myrica, L. 
cerifera, L 
aspienitolia, EndH 

ORDO LXXXVIII. BETULACEAE. 

1340 Betiila, Tournef. 
] populifolia. Ait 
nigra, L 
lenta, L. Sweet Birch 

1841 Alnus, Tournef. 
serrulata, Willd. Alder 

ORDO LXXXIX. CUPULIFERAE. 

1842 Ostrya, Michel. 
Virginica, Willd. Hop Horn- 
bean 

1843 Car pinus, L. 
Americana, Willd. Horn- 
beam 

1844 Corykis, Tournef. 
Americana, Walt. Hazelnut 
cornuta. Marsh 

1845 Quercus, L. 
nigra, Willd. Black Jack 
tinctoria, Willd. Black Oak 
] discolor, Willd 
coccinca, Wangcnh 
rubra, . . Red Oak 
falcata, M\. Spanish Oak 
palustris, Mx. Pin Oak 
ilicifolia, Wangenh. Scrub 

Oak 
obtusiloba, Mx 
macrocarpa, L 
alba, L. White Oak 
Prinus, L 
Michauxii, Nutt 
montana, Willd 
Castan(^a,Muhl. Chestnut Oak 
chinquapin, Mx 

1847 Fa2:us, Tournef. 
sylvatica, L. Beech 

1848 Ca.'^tanea, Tournef. 
vesca, Willd. Chestnut 
pumila, Willd. Chinquapin 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 



491 



ORDO XC. ULMACEAE. 

1850 Ulmus, L. 
Americana, I, 
fulva, Mx. Slippery Elm 

ORDO XCI. CELTIDEAE. 

1S51 Cyltis, Tounief. 
occidentalis, I,. Nettle tree 
crassifolia, I, am 

ORDO XCIJ. MOREAE. 

1856 Moms, Tournef. 
rubra^ L. *'ed Mulberry 
alba, !.. White Mulberry. 
imdticaidis, Perrot. {var. of" 
alba) 
1858 Broussonetia, Vent, 
papysifera. Vent. Paper Mul- 
berry 

ORDO XCIV. URTICACEAE. 

1879 Urtica, Tournef. 
pumila, L 
urens, L 

dioica, L. Stinging Nettle 
Canadensis, L 

1884 Boeluneria, Jaccj. 
cylindrica, Willd 

1885 Piirietaria, Tournef. 
Pennsylvanica, Muhl 

ORDO XCV. CANNABINEAE. 

1890 Caiuiabis, Tournef. 
sativa, L. Hemp 

1891 HunuiiUs, L. 
Lupidus, L. Hop 

ORDO XCVII. PLATANEAE. 

1901 Platan us, L. 
occidentalis, L. Button wood 

ORDO XCIX. SALICTNEAE. 

1903 Saiix, 'I ournef. 
Muhlenbergiana, Willd 
conifera, Wangcnh 
discolor Willd 
longifolia, Mulil floiv 

Bahy/onica, L. Weeping Wil- 
Purshiana, Spr<3ng 
nigra. Marsh 
lucida, Muhi 
! cordata. Muhl 
grisea, Willd 
vitellina, L. Yellow, Willoio 



1904 Popu'us, Tournef. 

balsamifera, I^ 

tremuloides, Mx. Aspen 

grandidentata. Mx 

heteruphylla, L. 

graeca^ Ait. Athenian Pnptaf 

* dilatcda. Ait. Lomhardy Poplar 

CLASSIS XXVn.OLERACE- 

AE. 

ORDO CI. CHENOPODEAE. 

1912 Atriplex. L. 
hortensis, L. Orach 

1914 Acnicla, Mitch, 
cannabina, L 

1915 Spinacia, Tournef. 
oleracea, L. Spinach 

1 1921 Butum, L. 

capitatum, L. Strawberry 
Elite 
1924 Beta, Tournef. 

vulgaris, L. Beet 

cicla, L. Mangel Wurtzel 
1930 Chenopodium, L. 

rhombifulium, Muhl 

album, L. Lamb's Quarters 

ambrosioides, L 

Botrys, L (seed 

anthelminticum, L. Worm- 

ORDO ClI. AJMARANTACEAE. 

1972 Aniarantus, L. 
albus, L 
hybrid us, L 
spinosus, L 

ORDO cm, POLYGONEAE. 

1 948 Rheum, L. 

rhaponticum. Ait. Pie Rhu- 
barb 
1986 Polygommi, L. 

aviculare, L. Knot grass 

erectum, Muhl 

tenue, Mx 

punctatum, EH 

mite, Pers 

Virginianum, L 

amphibium, L 

Pennsylvanicum, L 

lapathifolium,"L 

Persicaria, L 



Jim 



HISTORY OF 



Virginica, L [tain 

lanceolata, [,. English Plan- 
CLASSIS XXXI. AGGREG-A- 
TAE. 

ORDO CXVIII. VALERIANEAE. 

2181 V^xlerianella, Moench. 
Moench, Biic^- olitoria, Moench 
radiata, Dufr 

ORDO CXIX. DIPSACEAE. 

2191 Dipsacus, Tournef. 
sylvestris, M. Wild Teasel 
FuUonum, L. Fullcr''s Teasel 

ORDO CXX. COMPOSITAE. 

Britannica, L I Sub ordo I. Tubulijinrae. 

obtusifulius, L. Bitter Dock | Tribus I. Venioniaceae. 
;^fgt^?«^'lJa,J.^ Shen)^^Sorr^l 2204 Vcrnooia, Schreb. 

Noveboracensis, Willd. Iron 
Weed 

Tribus II. Eupatoriaceae. 
2270 Liatris, Schrcb. 

spicata, Willd. 
2275 ('onocliiiiiim, DC. 
coelestinum, DC. 



orientale, L 

sagittatum, L 

arifolium, L. Tear thumb 

convolvulus, L 

scandens, L 
1987 Fagopynim, Tournef. 

esculent U771, 
wheat 
1993 KluiiGX, L. 

crispus, L. Sour Dock 

aquaticus, L 

sanguineus, L 

Patieniia, L. Patience Dock. \ 



CLASSIS XXVllI. THYME- 
I,EAE. 

ORDO CVI. LAUKINEAE. 
Tribus X. Flavijlorae. 

2056 Sassafras, Nces. 
officinale, Nees. Sas<b:arras 

2057 Benzoin, Necs. 



odorirerunn,Nees.Spicewood Eupalo'rium, Tournef, 

ORDO CVin. SANTALACEAE. ^ "^ ' i / n 

})urpureum, L. (vars.) 
album, L 
teuciifi^lium, Willd 



207G Conimandra, Nutt. 

umbellata, Nutt 
2086 Nyssa, L. 

multifloia, Walt, Sour Giiin 

ORDO CIX. DAPHNOIDEAE. 

2091 Dirca, L. 

palustris, ].. Lcatherwood 

CLASSJSXXTX.SEKTENTA- 

RIAE. 

ORDO CXIV. ARISTOLOCniEAE. 

2160 Asarum, Tournef. 

Canadensc, L. Wild Ginger 

1 Virginicum, L 
2162 Aristolochia, Tournef. 

Serpeniaria, L. Virg. Snake 
root 
Cohors ItK anmopftafae. 
CLASSIS XXX. PLUMBAG- 

mES. j 

OFDO CXVT. PLANTA ;IXEAE. I 

2170 Planlaij^o, L. 
major, L. Great Plantain 
media, L ' 



rutundifolium, L 

scssilitolium, L [stem 

peifoliatum, L. Thorough- 

ageratoides, L. f. 

aromaticum, L 
2282 Mikania, Willd. 

scandens, Willd 

Tribus III. Asteroideae. 
2301 Aster, Nees. 

! Radula, Ait 

patens, Ail. [& var.] 

laevis, L 

undulatus, L 

cordit'ulius, L 

isagittifulius, Willd 

ericordes, L 

miser, l^ 

simplex, Willd 

Novi Belgii, L 

puniceus, L 

prcnanthoides, IVIuhl 



LANCASTER COUNTr. 



49^ 



Novae Angliae, L 
2310 Sericocarpus, Nees. 

conyzoides, Nees 

sulidagineus, Nees 
2316 Hiotui, DC. 

corymbosa, DC 

macrophylla, DC 
2319 Dipiostepliium, Cass. 

cornifolium, DC 

T aniygdaliiium, Cass 

umbellatum, DC 
2321 Diplopappus, DC. 

linariifolius, Hook 
2332 Erigeroii, DC. 

Canadense, L 

belliditolium, Muhl 

Philadelphicum, L 

strigosLim, Muhl 
2339 Steiuictis, Nees. 

annua, Nees 
2373 Ciuysopsis, Nutt. 

Mariana, Nutt 
2376 Soiidago, L. Golden 
rod. 

squarrosa, Muhl 

biculor, L 

latifolia, L 

caesia, L 

spcciosa, Nutt 

"Jrigida, L 

patula, Muhl 

arguta, Ait 

Muhlenbergii, Torr & Gray 

altissima, L 

ulmifulia, Muhl 

odura, Ait 

nem oralis, Ait 

Canadensis, L 

serotina, Ait 

gigantoa, Ait 

lai.ceolata, L 
2426 Inula, Gaertn. 

Helenium, L. Elecampane. 
Trih ,.s I V. Senecionideae. 

2474 Si^phium, L. 
perfoliatum, L 

2475 Poiymnia, L. 
Canadensis, L 



Uvedalia, L 
2480 Xautliium, Tournef. 

strunnarium, L. Clot-bur 

Ispinosum, L 
24S2 Ambrosia, Tournef. 

trifida, L [weed. 

arlemisiaefolia, L. Bitter- 
2506 Heliopsis, Pers. 

laevis, Pers 
2514 Rudbeckia, L, 

hirta, I. 

fulgida, Ait 

laciniata, L 
2516 Ooeliscaria, Cass. 

1 pinnata, Cass 
2526 Ciuysostemma, Less. 

tripteris, Less 
2530 Actinomeris, Nutt. 

squarrosa, Nutt 
2538 Heliantiius, L. 

giganteus, L 

strumosus, L 

decapeialus, L 

divaricatus, L [choke 

tuberosus, L. Jerusalem Arti- 

annuus, L. Sunflower. 
2541 Bidens, L. 

frondosa, L 

connata, L 

cernua, L. Beggar ticks 

chrysanthemuides, Mx [dies. 

bipinnata, L. Spanish Nee- 
2603 lieienium, L. 

autumnale, L 

2639 Anthemis, DC. 
arvensis, L 
nobilis, L. Chamomile 

2640 Maruta, Cass. 
foetida, Cass. Stinking Cham- 
omile 

2649 Achillea, Neck. 

millefolium, [.. Yarrow 
2667 L;.ucantIienxUnj, Tour- 
nef. 
I vulgare, Lam. Ox-eye Daisy 
2654 Artemisia, L. 
I Ahrotanum, L. Southern icaoJ 
43 



494 



HISTORY OF 



vulgaris, L. Miio^-wort 

Absinthium, L. Wormwood 
2696 Tanacetum, L. 

vulgare, L. Tansey 
2746 Giiaphalium, Don. 

polycephalum,Mx. Life ever- 
lasting 

liliginosum, L 

purpuredm, L 
2752 Fiiago, Totirnef. 

G-etmanica, L 
2767 Antcni-iaria, R. Br. 

dioica, Gaertn. Cud weed 

plantaginea, R. Br 

margai'itacea, R. Br 
2790 ErechtitGs, Raf. 

hieracifolia, Raf. Fire weed 
2800 Arnica, L. 

Inudicaulis, Ell 
2806 Cacalia,DC. 

suaveolens, L 

atriplicifulia, L 

reniformis, Muhl 
2811 Senecio, Less. 

aureus, L. (ot. vars) 
Trihus V. Cynareae. 

2871 Centaurea, Less. 
cyanus, L. Blue bottle 

2872 Cricus, Vaill. 
hencdicius, Gaertn. Blessed 

This lie 
2875 Cai tl lamiis, Tournef. 

tindorius, L. Bastard Saffron 
2887 Cirsiiim,, Tournef. 
lanceolatum, Scop, Common 

_ Thi-tlo 
discolor, Spreng 
allissimuin. Spreng 
arvensc, Scop. Canada This- 
tle 
pumilnm, Spreng 
Ihorriduluni, Mx 
muticum, Mx 
1 Virgiiiianum, Mx 
2892 Lp,])pa, Tonrnef. 
• major, Gaertn, Bur-dock 
Sub ordo III. Lig ulijlorae. 



Trihus VI 1 1. Cichorac&a€' 
2978 Cichorium, Tournef^ 

Intybus, L. Wild Succory 

Eiidivia, Willd. Endite 
12981 Krigia, Schfeb. 
I Virginica, Willd 
'2982 Troximon, Gaertn. 

Virginicum, Pursh 
2995 Tragopogon, L. 

porrifolius, L. Oyster Plant 
3003 Sonchus, L. 

ciliatus, Lam? Sow thistle 
1 asper, VilH 
13005 Prenanthes, Gaertn, 

altissima, L 

Serpentaria, Pursh 
3008 Lactuca, L, 

elongata, Muhl 

sativa, L. Lettuce 
3010 Taraxacum, Juss. 

Dens Leonis, Desf. Dande* 
lion 
3020 Pachylepis, Less. 

1 Kalmii, Less 
3026 Hieracium, Tournef, 

venosum, L. Hawktveed- 

Gronovii, L. [& var] 

paniculatum, L 
3028 Mulgedium, Cass. 

Floridanum, DC 

acuminatum, DC 
CLASSIS XXXII. CAMPAN- 
Ul.INAE. 

ORDO CXXIV. LOBELIACEAE. 

3058 Lobelia, L. 
spicata, Lam 
1 puberula, Mx 
syphilitica, L 

iiiflata, L. Indian Tobacco 
cardinalis, L 

ORDO CXXV. CAMPANULACEAE. 

3085 Campanula, L. 

rotundifolia, L 

aparinoides, Pursh 

Americana, L 
30S6 Spccularia, Heist. 

perfoliata, Alph. D^ 



LANCASTER COrNTY. 



495 



€LASSIS XXXIII. CAPRI- 
FOLIA. 

ORDO CXXVII. RUBIACEAE. 

3100 Galium, L. 
Aparine, L. Cleavers 
trifidum, L 
asprellum, Mx 
triflorum, Mx 
pilosum, Ait 
circaezans, Mx. [et var] 
bo re ale, L 

3101 Rubia, Tournef. 
Tinctorum L. Madder. 

3123 Diodia, L. 

teres, Walt 
31 38 Cephalanthus, L. 

occidentalis, L. Button bush 
3188 Mitchella, L. 

repens, L. Partridge Berry 
3240 Heclyotis, Lam. 

caerulea, Hook 

purpurea, Torr & Gray 

ORDO CXXVIII. LONICEREAE. 

3336 Diervilla, Tournef. 
trifida, Moench 

3337 Loniceraj Desf. 
1 grata, Ait 

1 parviflora, Lam 

3338 Triosteum, L. 
perfol latum, L 

1 angustifolium, L 

3340 Viburnum, L. 
nudum, L 

prunifolium, L. Black Haw 
Lentago, L 

dentatum, L 
acerifolium, L 
opulus, L. Snow ball 
llantanoides, Mx 

3341 Sambucus, Tournef. 
Canadensis, L. Elderbush 

CLASSIS XXXIV. CONTOR. 
TAE. 

ORDO CXXX. OLEACEAE. 

3346 Chionanthus, L. 

Virginica, L. Fringe tree 
3352 Ligustrum, Tournef. 



vulgare, L. Privet 
3353 Fraxinus, Tournef. 
sambucifolia, Willd 
acuminata. Lam 
pubescens, Walt 

ORDO CXXXII. APOCYNACEAE 

3422 Apocynum, L. 
androsaemifolium, L 
cannabinum, I^ 

ORDO CXXXIII. ASCLEPIADEAE. 

3488 Acerates, Ell. 

viridiflora. Ell 
3490 AsciepiaSjL. 

syriaca, L. Silk weed 

amoena, L 

obtusifolia, Mx 

variegata, L 

phytolaccoides, Lyon 

laurifolia, Mx 

incarnata, L 

quadrifolia, Jacq 

verticillata, L 

tuberosa, L. Butterfly weed 
3495 Gonolobus, Rich. 

1 obliquus, R. Br 

ORDO CXXXIV. GENTIANEAE. 

3528 Gentiana, L, 
Saponaria, L 
Tochroleiica, Willd 
crinita, Willd 

3542 Coiitaurella, Rich. 
paniculata, Mx 

3543 Erythraea, Ren.- 
pulchelia, Hook 

3546 Sa botia, Adans 
angularis, Pursh. Centourey 

3564 Meiiyanthes, L. 
^ trifoliata, L 

3565 Villarsia, Vent, 
flacunosa, Vent. 

CLASSIS XXXV. NUCULI- 
FERAE. 

ORDO CXXXVI. LABIATAE. 

Trihus I. Ocimoideae. 
3569 Ocimum,L. 

basilicum, L. Sweet Basils 
3585 Lavandula, L. 



496 



HISTORY OF 



Spica, L. Lavender 
Tribus II. Menthoideae. 
3592 Isanthus, Rich. 
1 caeruleus, Mx. 

3594 Mentha, L. 
viridis, L. Speer Mint 
piperita, L. Pepper Mint 
arveiisis, L 
Canadensis, L 

3595 Lycopus, L. 
Virginicus, L 
siniiatus, Ell 

Tribus III. MoTiardeae. 
3597 Salvia, L. 
lyrata, L. "Wild Sage 
officinalis, L. Garden Sage 
Sclarea. L. Clary 

3600 Moiiarda, L. 
didyma, L. Burgamot 
fistulosa, L. Horse Mint 
1 punctata, L 

3601 Blephilia, Raf. 
1 ciliata, V af 

Tribus IV. Saturcineae 
3605 Pycnaiitliemum, Benth. 
incanum, Mx 
linifolium, Pursh 
lanceoluium, Pursh 
"? muticum, Pers 

3608 OrigaiiUm, L. 
vulgare, L 

3609 Mcijorana, Moench. 
horteiisis, Moench. Marjoram 

3610 TliyiLUs, L. 
Serpyllum, L. Wild Thyme 
vulgaris, L. Garden Thyme 

3611 Satureia, L. 
hortcnsis, L. Summer Savory 

3612 Ilyssopus. L. 
officinalis, L. Hyssop 

3613 Collitisonia, L. 
Canadensis, L 

3614 ( uiiila, L. 
Mariana, L. Dittany 

Tribus V. Melissmae, 

3615 Iledcon a, Pers. 
pulegioideSjPers. Pennyroyal 



3617 Melissa, Benth. 

officinalis, L. Balm 

CHnopodium, Benth. 

1 Calannintha, L 
Tribus YI. Scutellarineae. 
3624 Prunella, L. 

vulgaris, L. Heal-all 
3626 Scutellaria, L. 

1 galericulata, L. Scull cap 

1 nervosa, Pursh 

parvula, Mx [cap 

lateriflora, L. Mad-dog Scull 

integrifolia, L 

pilosa, Mx 

T canescens, Nutt 

Tribus VIII. Nepeteae. 

3635 Lophanthus, Benth. 
nepetoides, Benth 
scrophulariatfolius, Benth 

3636 Nepeta, Benth. 
Cataria, L. Catmint [Ivy 
Ghchoma, Benth. Ground 

Tribus IX. Stachydeae. 
3641 Physostegia, Benth. 

Virginiana, Benth 
3645 Limium, L. 

amplexicaule, L. Henbit. 
3647 Leonurus, L. 

Cardiaca, L. Motherwort 
3650 Stacliys, Benth. 

aspera, Mx 

sylvatica, LI 

"I tenuifolia. Muhl 
3657 Marrubiuni, L. 

vulgare, L. Horehound 
Tribus A I. Ajuguideae, 

3678 TrichosteniUia, L. 
dichotoma, L 

3679 T(ucrium, L. 
Canadense, L 

ORDO CXXXVII. VERBENA- 
CEAB. 

3684 Lippia, L. 
nudiflora, Mx 

3685 Verleiia, L. 
ha^tata, L. Vervain 
1 spuria, L 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 



497 



urticaefolia, L 
angustifolia, Mx 
3690 Priva, Adans. 
leptostachya, Juss 

ORDO CXLIII. ASPERIFOLIAE. 
Sub ordo II. Boragineae. 
Tribus I. Anchuseae. 
3755 Oiiosmodium, Rich. 

hispidum, Mx 
3757 Echium, Tournef. 
vulgare, L. Blue Devils, 
3759 Pulmonaria, Tournef. 
Virginica, L 



maculata, L 
aristata, Mx 
v^ivaricata, L 
1 reptans, Mx 
subulata, L 
3822 Polemonium, Tournef. 
reptans, L. Jacob's Ladder 

ORDO CXLVI. HYDROPHYL- 
LEAE. 

3827 Hydropliyllum, Tour- 
nef 
Virginicum, L 
Canadense, L 



3761 Lithospermum, Tour. 3830 Eutoca, R. Br 



arvense, L. Stone-weed 

officinale, L 

canescens, Lehm 
3772 Myosotis, L. 

palustrisjRoth. Forget mc not 

arvensis, Sibth 
3776 Symphytum, L. 

officinale, L. Comfrey 
Tribus IL Cynoglosseae. 
3784 Cyno2;lossuQi, L. 

officinale, L. Hound's tongue 

Virginicum, L. Wild Comfrey 
3786 Echinosperniumj Sw. 

Virginicum, Lehm 
CLASSIS XXXVL TUBIFLO. 
KAE. 

ORDO CXLIV. CONVOLVULA- 
CEAE. 

3801 Calystegia, R. Br. 

spithamaea, Pursh 

sepium, Pursh 
3803 Convolvulus, L. 

arvensis, L 

panduratus, L 

purpureus, L. Morning Glory 
3807 Batatas, Chois. 

edulis, Chois. Sweet Potato 
3816 Cuscuta, Tournef. 

Americana, L. Dodder 

Europaea] L. Flax vine 

ORDO CXLV. rOLEMONIACEAE. 

3819 Phlox, L. 
paniculata, L 



parvifiora, R. Br 
3831 Phacelia, Juss, 

fimbriata, Mx 
ORDO cxLviii. solanacea:^. 

Tribus I. Nicotianeae, 
3841 Nicotiana, L. 
Tahicu.yn, L. Tobacco 
Tribus II. Datureae, 
3845 Daturus, L. 
Stramonium, L. Jimson 
Tatula, L 

Tribus IV. Solaneae, 
3851 Physaiis, L. 
viscosa, L. Ground cherry 

3854 Capsicum, Tournef. 
annuum, L. Red Pepper 

3855 Solannm, L. 
dulcamara, L. Bittersweet 
nigrum, L. Nightshade 
tuberosum, L. Potato 
esculentum, Dunal. Egg Plant 

3856 Lycopersicurn, Tournef 
escuJentum, Mill. Tomato 

CLASSIS XXX\aL PERSON- 

ATAE. 
ordo cxlix. scrophulari- 
nae. 
Tribus I. Verbnsceae. 
3878 Verbascum, L. 
Thapsus, L. Mullein 
Blattaria, L. Moth Mullein 
3883 Scrophularia, Touraef. 
Marilandica, L, 



42* 



498 



HISTORY OP 



Tribus III. Antirrhineae. 
3891 Liiiaria, Touriief. 
vulgaris, Mill. Toad Flax 
Tribus V. Digitaleae. 

3908 Cliclone, L. 
glabra, L 

3909 Peiitstemon, Herit. 
piibescens, Pursh 

3915 Digitalis, rournef. 

purpurea, L. Fox Glove 
Tribus \T. Gratioleae. 
3935 MiiiiU.us, L. 

ringeas, L. Monkey flower 

alalus, L 
3946 Graliola, R. Br. 

Virginica, L 

anagallidea, Mx 

Tribus VII. Buchnereae. 
3960 Bucimera, L. 

1 Americana, L 

'iribus IX. Veroniceae. 
3977 LiiLOsella, L. 

subulaia, Jves 

3979 Veronica, L. 
ser; yllifolia, L 
sc'Utellata, L 
Auagallis L 

Bt ccaburjga, L 
ofliciiiali-, L, Speedwell 
percgriiii!, L 
arveii.-vi.s, L 
hederaeiolia, L 

3980 K.tcxTota, L. 
Virginica, Endl 

'i r I bus X. Gerard ieae . 
3996 Gtr, rdia, L. 
pur[ un a, L 
teiJU;t< iia. L 
laurici l.-ta, Mx 
fiava. L 
glaiica, Etldy 
pe(!iciilan;i,'L 
Iribus XI. Khinanthcac. 
4004 ( ast.l eja, i\ uli-. 
c<(cii-ea, Spreng. Painted 
(lip 
4015 P 1 cu aris, Toiiiicf. 



Canadensis, L. Lousewort 
pallida, Pursh 
4018 Melanipyrum, Tour- 
iief. 
Americanum, Mx. Cow 
wheat. 
4026 Obolaria, L. 
Virginica, L. Pennywort. 

OKDO CL. ACANTHACEAE. 

4047 Ruellia, L. 

strepens, L 
4093? Ju ticia, L. 

pedunculjsa, Mx 

ORDO CLI. BIGNONIACEAE. 

4113 Catalpa, Juss. 
syringaefolia, Sims. Catawba 

4114 Teconia, Ju^.s. 
Kadicans, Juss. Trumpet 

Fiuwer 

ORDO CLIV. OROBANCHEAE. 

4182 Epi})hegiis Nutt. 

Americanus, Nutt. Beech 
drops 
4184 Con;)] liolis, V^^allr. 

Americana, Wullr 
4189 Aiiopiaiiti.us, Endl. 

uniflora, Endl 

ORDO CLV. UlRICULARIEAE^ 

4193 Utricu ana, L. 

macrorl.iza, Le Conte 

ceratophylla, i\;x 
CLAb«I8 XXXVlil. PETA- 
LAiNTHAE. 

RDO CLVI. PRIAIULACEAE. 

4202 DoofCathcoii, L. 
Meadia, L 

4207 Ly-iii.acliia, JNloonch. 
stricta, Ait 

quadrifulia, L 
ciliata, L 
IhNbrida, Mx 

4208 Tik I t l;s, L. 
Americana, Pursh 

4213 Ana£^ali!S, 1^. 
aiveii.'-Ji, L. Chickwced. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 



499 



4215 Samolus, Tournef. 
Valerandi, L 

ORDO CLIX. EBENACEAE. 

4249 Diospyros, L. 
Virginiana, L. Persimmon 
CLASSIS XXXIX. BICOR- 

NES. 

ORDO CLXI. ERICACEAE. 
Sub ordo I. Ericinae. 

4318 Audionieda, L. 
calyculata, L 
1 racemosa, L 
1 Mariana, L 

4319 Lyoiiia, Nutt. 
paniculata, Nutt 

4320 Cit'tiira, L. 
lalnifolia, L 

4322 Epia:ala, L. 
repens, L 

4323 Gautheria, L. 
procumbens, L. Tea berry 

Sub ordo II. Vdccinieae. 

4331 Oxycoccus, Tournef. 
macrocarpus, Pers. Cran- 
berry 

4332 V" ; ceil] i urn, L. 
album L. Deer berry 
froncloMim, L. Wtiorlleberry 
resin oisLim, Ait 
coryml;i).si;m, L 
ivirgatiim, Ait 
Sub ordo III. Rhododendreae, 

4339 Kaiiiiia, L. 

latifolia, L. Laurel 

angu.stif> lia, L 
4341 U Olio.!, iidroii, L. 

nucliflorum,Torr, Honeysuc- 
kle 

visc().>um, Torr 

maximum, L. Mountain Lau- 
rel 

Ericaceis qfflnes 

4348 Chiiii..ph!!a, Pursh. 
umbellata, Nutt. Pipsisswa 
maculata, P.tr li 

4349 Py;\;la, Tournef. 
rutundifoiia, L 



elliptica, Nutt 
1 minor, L 
secunda, L 

4351 Monotropa, Nutt. 
uuiflora, L. Indian Pipe 

4352 Hypopitnys, Diiten. 
lanuginosa, Nutt Pine sap 

Co.%ors Kf^, E^Uiiijpeta^ 

CI ASSIS XL. DISCANTHAE. 

ORDO CLXII, U:\IBELLIFERAE. 
Sub ordo I. Orthospermae. 
Tribus I. Ilydrocotyleae. 
4355 HyJrocoiyie, rouruef. 
Americana, L 
] umbellata, L 
ranunculuides, L 
4359 Eiiijc^nia, Nutt. 
bulbosa, Nutt 

T? ibus III. Saniculeae. 
4382 Scuiicuia, Touruef. 
Marilandica, L 

Tribus IV. Ammineae. 

4391 Ciru^a, L. 
maculata, L. Wild Parsnep 

4392 Z z,a, Koch, 
aurea, Koch 
cijrdata, Koch 
integerrima, DC. 

4393 Ap u:ii, Hoffm. 
graveolens, L. Celery 

4394 Petros'-liimiii, Hoffm. 
sal ivum, Hoffm. Parsley 

4406 Caruaj, Kocn. 

Carui, L. Caraway 
4409 Cryptotaeijia,' DC. 

Canadensis, DC 

4413 S.u;ii, Koch, 
latifolium, L 
lineare, Mx 

4414 Buj)[("urum, Tournef. 
rotund if olium, L 

Trihus V. Seselineae. 
4425 Foc'iiiru uuj, Adans. 

vidgare, Gaertn. Fenn I 
4438 T i;isj iuiii, Nutt. 

barbinode, Nutt 



500 



HISTORY OF 



Tribus VII. Angeliceae. 
4453 Levisticum, Koch 
officinale, Koch. Lavage 
4457 Archangelica, Hoffm. 
atro purpurea, Hoflm 
hirsuta, Torr & Gray 
Tribus VIII. Peucedaneae. 
4412 Archemora, DC. 
rigida, DC. Cowbane 
4473 Pastiiiaca, Tournef. 

sativa, L. Parsnep 
4477 lieracleum, L. 
lanatum, Mx. Cow Parsnep 
Tribus XII. Daucineae. 
4497 Daiicus, Tournef. 
Carota, L. Carrot. 
Sub ordo II. Campylospermae. 
Tribus XV. Scandicinae. 
4506 Chaerophylium, L. 

procumbens, L 
4515 Osmorliiza, Raf. 

longistylis, DC. Sweet cicely 
brevistylis, DC 
Tribus XVI. Smyrneae. 
4532 Coniuni, L, 
rnaculatum, L. Hemlock i 
Sub ordo III. Coelospermae. 
Tribus XVII. Coriandrcac. 
4549 Coriandruiii, L. 
sativum., L. Coriander. 
ORDO CLXIII. ARALIACEAE. 

4551 Panax, 

quinqucfolium, L. Ginseng 

trifolium, L 
4558 Aralia, L. 

raccmosa, L. Spikenard 

nudicaulis, L. Sarsapariila 

hispida, Mx 

spinosa, L 

ORDO CLXIV. AMPELIDEAE. 

4566 Cissus, L. 
quinquefolia, Desf. Virginia 

Creeper 

4567 Vitis, L. 
Labrusca, L. fox Grape 
aestivalis, Mx. Summer Grape 
cordifuiia,Mx. Chicken Grape 



riparia, Mx 
vinifcra, L. (vars) 

ORDO CLXV. CORNEAE. 

4574 Cornus, Tournef. 
alternifolia, L. f 
circinata, Herit 
paniculata, Herit 
sericea, L 
Florida, L. Dogwood 

ORDO CLXVI. LORANTHACEAE. 

4584 Viscum, L. 
flavescens, Pursh. Misselto 

ORDO CLXVII. HAMAMELIDEAE. 

4591 Hamameiis, L. 

Virginica, L. Witch Hazel 

CLASSISXLI. CGRNICULA- 

TAE. 

ORDO CLXIX. CRASSULACEAE. 

4622 Sedum, L. 

ternatum, Mx 
4625 Penlhorum, L. 

sedoides, L 

ORDO CLXX. SAXIFRAGACEAE. 

Sub ordo I. Saxifrageae. 
4634 Saxifraga, L. 
Virginiensis, Mx 
Pennsylvanica, L. 

4638 Cluysosplenium, Tour- 
nef. 

Americanum, Schw. 

4639 Heuchera, L. 
Americana, L. 

4641 JMitella, Toimief. 

diphylla. I, 
Sub ordo III. Ilydrangeae. 
4668 Hydrangea^ L. 

arborescens, L. 

ORDO CLXXI. RIBESIACEAE. 

4682 Ribes, L. 
floridum, Herit 
rubru7n, L. lied Currant 
nigrum, L. Black Currant 
IJva crispa, I,. Gooseberry 

CLASSIS XLII. POLYCAR- 
PICAE. 

ORDO CLXXII. MENISPERMACEAE. 

4685 Menispcnnuni, Tour- 
nef. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 



501 



Canadense, L. Moonseed 

ORDO CLXXIV. ANONACEAE. 

4717 Uviria, L. 

triloba, Tnrr &; Gray. Papaw 

ORDO CLXXVI. MAGMOLIACEAE. 

4737 Magnolia, L. 

glauca, [j 

1 Umbrella, [.ana 

acuminata, L 
4740 Linodandron, L. 

tiilipifera, L. Tulip Poplar 

ORDO CLXXyill. RANUNCULACEAE. 

Trihtis I. Clematideae. 

4768 Cle.natis, L. 
Yirginiana, L. Virgin's Bower 
viorna, I. 

4769 Atragene, DC. 
Americana, Sims 

Tribus II. Anemoneae. 

4772 T lalictrum, Tournef. 
dioicum, L 

Cornuti, L 
anem jnoides, Mx 

4773 Anemone, Hall. 
nemorDsa, L 
Virginian a, L 
Pennsylvanica, L 

4774 Hipatica, Dillen. 
triloba, Chaix. I iver-wort 

4777 Hydrastis, L. 

Canadensis, L. Yellow root 
Tribus III. Ranwnculeae. 
4783 R iiiuicuius. Hall. 

aquatilis, L 

Flammula, L 

reptans, L 

pusillus, Poir 

abortivus, L 

sceleratus, L. Crow foot 

'\ acris, L 

repens, L 

Pennsylvanicus, L 

recurvatus, Poir 

fascicularis, Muhl 

bulbosus, L. Buttercup 
Tribus IV. Helleboreae. 
4786 Caltlia, L. 

palustris, L. Marsh Marygold 



4787 Trollim, L. 
1 laxus, Salisb 

4795 Aquilegia, Tournef. 
Canadensis, L. Columbine 

4796 Dc^lpiiitnu n, Tournef. 
Consolida, L. Larkspur 

Tribus V. Paeonieae. 

4799 Actaea, L 

alba, Bigel. White Cohosh 

4800 Botrophis, Rif. 
racemosa, Raf. Black Snake 

root 

>RDO CLXXIX. BERBERIDEAE. 

4806 Fojopiiyilum, L, 
peltatum, L. May apple 

4810 Leojtice, L. 
thalictroides, L. Blue Cohosh 

CLASSISXLIII.RHOEADES. 

ORDO CLXXX. PAPAVEtiACEAE. 

Sub ordo I. Papavereae. 
4SXS S in?uiaaria, L. 

Canadensis, L. Red-root 
481 SI Ciielidomu n, Tourne£ 

majus, L. Celandine 
4821 Arg3mo.i3, Tournef. 
Mexicana, L. Prickley Pop- 

py 

4823 Papaver, Tournef. 

1 dubium, L 

Sub ordo JI. Fumariaceae. 
4836 Dicentra, Horkh. 

CucuUaria, Endl. Breeches 
flower 

Canadensis, Endl. Sj[uirrel 
Corn 
1837- Adlumia, Raf. 

cirrhosa, taf. 
1839 Coryd dis, DC. 

aurea, Willd 

Glauca, Pursh 
4843 Fum ir.a, Tournef. 

ollicinalis, L. Fumit orv 

ORDO CLXXXI. CRUCIFEKAE. 
Sub nrdo I. Pleurorhiz'iae. 
Tribus I. Arabid'.ae. 
4850 Nastui-tiu n, R }3r. 
olficinale, li. Br. Water Cress 



502 



HISTORY OF 



paluslre, DC. 

amphibium, R. Br 
4S51 Barbarea, R.Br. 

vulgaris, R. Br. 

praecox, R. B. Scurvy Grass 
4S54 Arabis, L. 

hirsula, Scop 

lyrata, L 

laevigata, DC 

CanadcMisis, L 
4S59 Cardainine, L. 

rhoniboidca, DC 

Irotundifulia, Mx 

hirsuta, L 
4861 Dentaria, Tournef. 

laciniata, Muhl 

diphylla, Mx 

Trihiisll. Alyssineae. 
4SS0 Draba, L. 

ICaruIiniana, Walt 

4881 Erophila, DC. 
vulgaris, DC 

4882 Cochlearia, L. 
Armoracia, L. Horse Radish 

Trihus III. Thlaspideae. 

4888 Cynocarclamum, W. 

& B. 

Virginicum, Webb & Benth 

Sub ordo II. Notorhizeae. 

Tribus VII. Sisymbrieae. 

4D06 Sisymbrium, L. 

oificinale, Scop. Hedge Mus- 
tard 
1 canescens, Nutt 
Thaliana, Gay 
Tribus VIII. Camelincae. 
4919 Camelina, Crantz. 
sativa, Crantz. Wild Flax 
Tribus IX. Lepidnieae. 
4927 Capsella, Vent. 

Bursa Pastoris, Moench. 
Shepherd's Purse 
4932 Lepidiiim, R. Br. 
Sativum, L. Tongue gi-ass 
Sub ordo III. OrUioptoccae. 
Tribus Xll. Brass iceae, 
4949 Brassica, L. 



oleraceae, L. Cabbage 
campestris, L. Ruta baga 
Rapa, L. Turnep 

4950 Sinapis, Tournef. 
nigra, L. Black Mustard 
alba, L. White Mustard. 
Tribus XVI. Raphaneae. 

4972 Raplianus, Tournef. 
sativus, L. Radish. 
ORDO CLXXXII. CAPPARIDEAE, 

4988 Polauisia, Raf. 

graveolens, Raf 
CLaSSISXLIV. NELUMBIA. 
ordo cxxxv. nymphaeaceae. 

5020 Nymphaea, Neck, 
odorata, Ait. Water Lily 

5021 Nuphar, Sm. 
Advena, Ait. Spatter Dock 
^'- Sarraccniaceae. 

5023 Sarracenia, L. 
purpurea L. Sidesaddls 
flower 

ORDO CLXXXYI. CABOMBEAE. 

5025 Brascnia, Schreb. 

I peltata, Pursh 

ICLASSIS XLV. PARIETA 

I LES. 

I ORDO CLXXXVIII. CISTINEAE. 

1 502 9 Helianthemum, Tour- 
! nef. 

Canadense, Mx. [& vars] 
5930 Lechea, L. 
I major, Mx 

minor, I, am. Pin weed 

ORDO CLXXXIX. DROSERACEAE. 

5033 Drosera, L. 
rotundifolia, L. Sun dew 

ORDO CXC. VIOLARIEAE. 

5040 Viola, L. Violet, 
pcdata, L 
palmata, L 
cucullata, Ait 
sororia, Willd 
sagiltata, Ait 
blanda, Willd 
primulaefolia, L 
striata, Ait 



LANCASTER COUNTT. 



503 



Muhlenbergii, Torr 
rostrata, Pursh 
pubescens, Ait 
Canadensis, L 
tricolor, I^ 
CLASSIS XLVI. PEPONIFE- 
HAE. 

ORDO ecu. CUCURBITACEAE. 

5126 Melothria, L. 

pendula, L 
5131 Citriilliis, Neck. 

eduUs, Spacl). Water Melon 
51 30 Lagenaria, Ser. 

vulgaris, Ser. Calabash 

5137 Cucumis, L. 
Melo, L. Cantaleupe 
sativus, L. Cucumber 
Anguria, L. Prickly Cucum- 
ber. 

5138 Cucurbita, L, 
Pepo, L. Pumpkin 
Melnpepo, L. Cymling 
verrucosa, L. Long Squash 

5141 Echiiiocystis, Torr & 
Gray, 
lobata, Torr & Gray 
5146 Sicyos, L. 

angulatus, L 
CLASSIS XI.VIII. CAHYO- 
PHYLDINAE. 

ORDO CCVL PORTULACEAE 

5174 Portulaca, Tournef. 

oleracea, [.. Purslane 
5178 Ta I ill urn, xVdaiis. 

Ueretifolium, Pnrsh 
5180 Claytoiiia, L. 

Virginica, L 
5180 Moliugo, L. 

verticillata, L. Carpet weed 

ORDO CCVII. CARYOPHYLLEAE. 
Sub or do I. Paronychieae. 
Trihus J.Illeccbreae. 
5202 Paroiiycliia, Juss. 
Canadensis, Endl 

Tribus V. Polycarpeae. 
52 18 Spergularia, Pers. 
? arvensis, St. Hil 



1 rubra, St. Hil 
Sub ordo II. Sclerantheae. 
5222 Scleranthiis, L. 
1 annuus, L. Knavvel. 
Sub ordo III. Alsineae. 
Tribus I. Sabuiineae. 
5227 Aisiiie, Walilenb. 
] Michauxii, Fcnzl. 
Tribus III. SteUarineae. 
5234 Areiiaria, L. 
serpyllifolia, L 
lateriflora, L 

5240 Stellaria, L. 
media, Sni. 

] pubera, Mx 
longifolia, Muhl 
aquatica, Pollich 

5241 Cerastium, L. 
vulgatum, L 
viscosum, L 
arvense, L 
villosum, Muhl 
nutans, Raf 

Sub ordo IV. Sileneae, 
5248 Silene, L. 

stellata. Ait 

nivea, DC 

Antirrhina, L 

Pennsylvanica, L 

olficinalis, Endl. Soap wort 
5250 Lychnis, Tournef. 

Githago, Lam. Cockle 

ORDO CCVni. PHYTOLACCACEAE. 

5262 Phytolacca, Tournef. 

decandra, L. Poke 
CLASSIS XIJX. COLUMNI- 
FEUAE. 

ORDO CCIX. MALVACEAE. 

Tribus II. Malveae. 
5270 Althaea, Cavan. 

officinalis, L. Marsh Mallow 

rosea, Cavan. Holly Hock 
'5271 Malva, L. 

rotundifolia, L. Running Mal- 
low 

moschata, L, Musk Mallow 

sylvestris, L 

crispa, L. Curled Mallow 



504 



HISTORY OV 



Trihus III. Hibisceae. I 

5277 iiihiscus, L. 

Trioiium, L I 

Syriacus, L | 

5281 Aheinioschus, Medik. 
esculentus Moench. Okra. 
mot>chentos, Medik 
Trihus IV. S:deae. 
5289 Sida, Kuntli. 
spiiiosa, L 
Irhombifolia, L 
5292 Abutiion, Gnertn. 
Avicennae, Gaertn. Indian 
Mallow 

ORDO CCXII. TILIACEAE. 

5373 Tiiia, L. 
Americana, L. Linden 
CLAS^IS I .GUTTIFERAE. 

ORDO CCXVIII. HYPERICINhAE. 

5463 Ascyriim, L. 
Crux Andreae, L 

5464 HypLTicum, L. 
perforatum, L. St. John's 

Wort 
corynibosum, Muhl 
mutilum, L 
Canadense, L 
Sarothra, Mx 

5465 F^lodea, Adans. 
Virgin ica, Nutt 

Cl ASSISLII. ACERA. 

ORDO CCXXVII. ACERINEAE, 

5558 Ac. r, Moench. 
saccharinum, L. Sugar Ma- 
ple [Maple. 

dasycarpum, Ehrh. Silver 
rubruru, I . Ked Maple 

5559 N •'ja uio, Moench. 
aceroides, Moench, Box El- 
der 

CLASyiS LTTT. POLYGALI- 
NAE. 

ORDO CCXXXni. POLYGALEAE. 

5647 Po.ygala, L. 
sanguiiiea, Ij 
cruciata, L 
verticillata, L 
ambigua, Nutt 



Senega, L.Seneca Snake root 
pol) gama, Walt 
1 paucifolia, Willd 
CLASSIS MV. Fi.ANGULA- 
CEAE. 

ORDO CCXXXV. STAPHYLEACEAE. 

5673 Sraphyiea, L. 
trifolia, I . Bladder Nut 

ORDO CCXXXVI. CELASTRINEAE. 

5676 Euonyniiis, Tournef. 

atropurpureus, Jacq. Burn- 
ing bush 

Americanus, L 
5679 Celastius, Kunth. 

scandens, L 

ORDO CCXXXVIII. ILieiNEAE. 

5705 Lex, L. 
opaca, Ait, Holly 

5706 Prinos, L. 
verticillatus, L. Black Alder 

ambiguus, Mx 

ORDO CCXXXIX. RHAMeNeA. 

5122 R lamiiu-, Juss. 

lalnifolius, Herit 
5726 Ceanotlius, L. 

Americanus, L. New Jersey 
Tea 
C ASSIS LV. TRICOCCAE. 

ORDO CCXLHI. F.UPHORBIAChAE. 

Tribus I. Euphorbieae. 
5766 Euphorbia, L. 
hypericifolia,L 
maculata, L 
Peplus, L 

I athyris, L. Mole treie 
CO ru! lata, L 

1 nemoralis, Fl. Cestr. non 
Kit 

Ti'ihuslU. Acaly plicae f 
5787 Acaiypha, L. 
Virgin ica \j 

Trihus V. Phyllantheae. 
5847 Piiyllanti.us, S\v. 

Caroliniensis, Walt. 
Ci.ASSlS LVI. TEREBIN- 
THINEAE. 

ORDO CCXLIV. JUGLANDeAe. 

[5889 Gary a, Nutt. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 



505 



sulcata, Nutt 



alba, Nult. Shellbark Hick- 
tomentosa, Nult 
amara, Nutt 
porcina, Nutt. Pignut 
1 microcarpa, Nutt 
5890 .luglans, L. 
nigra, L. Black Walnut 
cinerea, L. Butternut 
regia, L. English Walnut 

ORDO CCXLV. ANACARDIA- 
CEAE. 

5905 Rhus, L. 
typhina, L. Staghorn Sumach, 
glabra, L. Smooth Sumach \ 
copallina, L [mach 

venenata, DC. Poison Su- 
toxicodendron, L. Poison vine 

ORDO CCL. ZANTHOXYLEAE. 

5972 ZaDthoxylon, Kiiiith. 

fraxineum,Wiild. Pricklv A5:;h 
GLASSISLVII. GRUINALES. 

ORDO CCLIV. GERANIACEAE. 

6046 Geranium, Herit. 
maculatum, L 
Carolinianum, L 
1 pusillum, L 

ORDO CCLV. LINEAE. 

6056 Linum, L. 
Virginianum, L 
usitatissimum, L. Flax 

ORDO CCLVI. OXALIDEv^E. 

6058 Oxalis, L. Wood Sor- 
rel, 
vlolacoa, L 
corniculata, L 
stricta, L 

ORDO CCLVII. BALSAMINEAE. 

6060 Impatiens, L. Snap 
weed, 
pallida, Nutt 
fulva, Nutt 

ORDO CCLVTII. TROPEOLEAE. 

6063 Tropaeolum, L. 

majvs, L. Nasturtium. 
ORDO CCLIX. LIMNANTHEAE. 

43 



.[orr 6065 Floerkea, Willd. 

proserpinacoides, Willd. 
CLASSIS LVIIT. CALYCI- 
FLORAE. 

ORDO CCLXV. OENOTHEREAE. 

Tribus I. Jussieueae, 
6111 Isnardia, DC. 
altcrnifolia, DC 
palustris, L 

Tribus II. Epilobieae. 
6115 Oenothera, L. 
biennis, L. Evening Primrose 
fruticosa, L 
6121 Epilobium, L. 
angustifolium, L 
coloratum, Muhl 
palustre, L. (and var.) 
Tribus VI. Circaeaceae. 

6130 Circaea, Tournef. 
Lutetiana, L. Enchanter's 

Nigtitshade 
Tribus VII. Gaureae, 

6131 Gaura, L. 
biennis, L 



ORDO CCLXVI. HALORAfJEAE. 

6134 Hippuris, L. 
1 vulgaris, L. Horse-tail 

ORDO CCLXVIl. LYTHRARIEAE 

6146 Ammannia, Houst. 

\ hum ills, Mx 
6151 Cuphea, .Tacq. 

viseosissima, Jacq 
CLASSIS LIX. MYRTIFLO- 

RaE. 
ordo cclxviii. melastoma- 

' CEAE. 

6200 Rhexia, R. Br. 

Virginica, L 
CLASSIS LX. ROSIFLORAE. 

ORDO CCLXX. PO.IIACEAE. 

6341 Cydonia, Tournef. 
vulgaris, Pers. Quince. 

6342 Pyrus, Liiidl. 
communis, L, Pear 
Alalus, L. Apple 
Coronaria, L. Crab Apple 



506 



HISTORY OF 



arbutifulia, L. f 
G345 Aiiiclaiichicr, IMcdik. 

Canadensis, Torr k Gray 
G353 Cmtaegus, L. 

oxyacantha, L 

crusgalli, L. Cockspur Thorn 

coccinea, L 

tomentosa, L 

punctata, L. Jacq [Thorn 

cordata. Ait. Washington 

'? parvifolia. Ait 

ORDO CCLXXII. ROSACEAE. 
Suh ordo I. Roseae. 
G357 Rosa, Tournef. 
Carolina, L. Swamp Rose 
lucida, Ehrh. Dwarf Rose 
rubiginosa, L. Sweet Briar. 
Sub ordo II. Dryadeae. 
G360 Rubiis, L. 
Idaeus, L. Garden Raspberry 
odcratus, L. Flowering Hasp- 
berry 
occidentalis, L. Raspberry 
villosus. Ait. Blackberry 
Canadensis, L. Dewberry 
hispidus, L. Swamp Dewber- 
ry 
6361 Fragaria, L. 
Virginiana, Ehrh. Wild 

Strawberry 
vesca, L. Garden Straioberry 
G363 Potentiila, L. 
Norvegica, L. 
Canadensis, L. Cinquefoil 
636S Agrimoiiia, Tournef. 

Eupatoria, L 
6373 Saiigiiisorba, L. 

Canadensis, L 
63S6 (i.uin, L. 
Virginianum, L 
rivule, L 

Sub ordo III. Spiracaccae. 
6391 Spiraea, L. 
opuliloiia, L 
salieiloiia, L 
toriientosa, L 
6393 Ci;lk'ii:a,ArocnclL 



trifoliata, Mounch. Indian 
Physic 

ORDOCCLXXIII. AMYftDALEAE 

6405 Amygdalus, L. 
Persica, L. Peach 

6406 Primus, L. 
Armeniaca. L. Apricot 
dasycai'pa, L. Black Apricot 
domestica, L. Damsi>n Plum 
Americana, Marsh. Red Plum 
chicasa, Mx. Chicasa Plum 
Cerasus., L. Cherry 
pumiki, L 

Virginiana, L 

ser(jtina, Ehrh. Wild Cherry 
CLASSIS LXI. LEGUAilNO- 
SAE. 

ORDO CCLXXV. PAPILIONA- 
CEAE. 

Tribus I. Podalyricae. 
6421 Baptisia, Vent, 
tinctoria, R. Br 

Tribus II. Loteae. 

6472 Crotalaria, L. 
sagittalis, L. Rattle box 

6473 Lupinus, Tournef. 
perennis, L. Wild Lupine 

6507 iMedicago, L. 
sitiva, L. Lucerne 
lupulina, L. Hop Trefoil 

6510 Alelilotus, Tournef. 
officinalis, Willd. Mehlot 

65 11 Trifolium, Tournef. 
arvense, L. Stone Clover 
p?'oiense, L. Red Clover 
retlexum, L 

re pens, L. White Clover. 

] procumbens, L. 

agrarium, L. Yellow Clover 



Wild Indigo 



If) Tephrosia, V 



ers. 



Virginiana, Pers. Cat-gut 
6546^R(^binia, L. 
Psued-acacia, L. Locust tree 
viscDsa, Vent. Clammy Lo- 
cust 
Tribus III. Vicirac. 
GolS Cicer/rournef. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 



507 



arietinum, L. Chick Pea 

6579 Pisiim, Tournef. 
sativum, L. Garden Pea 

6580 Ervum, Tournef. 
Lens, L. Lentil 
Ihirsutum, L 

6581 Vicia, L. 
Fala, L. Horr^e Bean 
Americana, Muhl 
Cracca, L 

6582 Lathy rus, L. 
venosus, Muhl 

Tribus IV. Hedysareae. 
6600 Stylosaiithes, Sw. 

elatior, Sw 
6615 Desmodium, DC 

iiudiflorum, DC 

acuminatum, DC 

1 pauciflorum, DC 

canescens, DC 

Dillenii, Darlingt 

cuspiclatum, Torr & Gray 

viridiflorum, Beck 

Marilandicum, Boott 

ciliare, DC 

"! rigidum, DC 

paniculatum, DC 

rotundifolium, DC 
6623 Lespedeza, Rich. 

The preceding List contains about 550 Genera, and some- 
thing more than 1200 Spzcies: of which upwards of 100 species 
may be found under cultivation, in the fields, or gardens, of 
Lancaster county. A detailed description of the greater portion 
of the plants, here enumerated, is furnished in the Flora of 
Chester County : and the whole of them — except, perhaps, a few 
of the cultivated ones, — will be comprised in Tokrey & Gray's 
truly national work, the Flora of North America— now in pro^ 
cess of publication. 

October, 1843. 



procumbens, Mx 

violacca, Pers 

1 Stuvei, Nutt 

hirta, Ell 

capitata, Mx 

Tribus V. Phaseoleae. 
6630 Amphicarpaea, Ell. 

monoica, Torr & Gray 
6653 Galactia, P. Br. 

] glabella, Mx 

6673 Apios, Boerh. 
tuberosa, Moench 

6674 Phaseo'iU?, L. 
perennis, Walt 

1 diversifolius, Pers 

helvolus, L 

C vulgaris, L. Pole Bean 

I var. nanus. Bunch Bean 

lunatus, L. Lima Bean 
Tribus VII. Sophoreae. 
6750 Cercis, L. 

Canadensis, L. Judas Tree 

Tribus VIII. Caesalpineae. 
6756 Gleditschia, L. 

triacanthos, L. Honey Locust 
6781 Cassia, L. 

Marilandica, L. Wild Senna 

Chamaecrista, L 

nictitans, L 



508 HISTORY OP 



BIRDS OF LANCASTER COUNTY 



BY J. J. LIBHART. 

In arranging this catalogue, no particular classification has 
been followed. The species are placed under the generic 
names of the older Systematis, with the expectation of render- 
ing it more satisfactory to the general reader. 

ORDER— ACCIPITRES—LixAEus. 

Carthartes aura, turkey buzzard. Falco peregrinus, wander- 
ing falcon: F. spauverius, sparrow hawk. Halicetos leucoce- 
phalus, bald eagle. Pandion halioetus, fish-hawk. Astur coo- 
perii, Cooper's hawk. Buteo lagopus, rough-legged hawk: 
B. buteoides, short winged hawk : B. leverianus, red-tailed 
hawk. Circus uliginous, hen harrier. Surnia nyctea, snowy 
owl: S. asio, red owl: S. noevia,* mottled owl. Bubo Virgin- 
iana, great horned owl. Ulula otus, long eared owl: U. nebu- 
losa, barred owl. Strix Americana, barn owl. 

ORDER— PASSERES—cuviER. 

Family — dentirostres — Cuv. 

Lanius exubitor, great American shrike. Muscicapa tyran- 
nus, king-bird. M. crinita, crested fly catcher: M. atra, pewit 
flycatcher: M. virens, wood pewee: M. acadica, small pewee. 
Setophaga ruticcilla, red start: M. coerula, sylvan fly catcher. 
Vireo flavifrons, yellow throated vireo: V. noveboracensis, 
white eyed vireo : V. silvus, warbling vireo : V. olivaceus, 
red-eyed vireo. Ictcria viridis, ycUow-brcasted chat. Sylvia 
coronata, myrtle bird: S. petechia, red-poll warbler: S. Lutiva, 
yellow warbler: S. pardalina, Canada warbler: S. macules, 

*We arc confirmed in the opinion, that Wilson was correct in making the 
red and mottled owls distinct species. We possess an old female red owl 
and its young, already fledged, possessing the same colors, shot from the 
nest. Later authors, say the mottled individuals are the old and mature 
birds, and the red ones the young. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 509 

black and yellow warbler: S. vivens, black throated green 
warbler: S. blackburnioe, blackburnian warbler: S. castenea, 
bay breasted warbler: S. striata, black-poll warbler: S. varia, 
spotted warbler: S. pinus, pine warbler: S. formosa,* Ken- 
tucky warbler: S. trichas, yellow throated warbler. Dacnis 
verrnivora, worm-eating warbler: D. solitaria, blue winged 
yellow warbler. Regulus calendulus, ruby-crowned wren: 
R. cristatus, golden crested wren. Sialia Wilsonii, blue bird. 
Bombyciila carolinensis, cedar-bird. Orpheus poUyglottus, 
mockingbird: 0. rufus, ferruginus thrush: 0. felivox, cat- 
bird. Turdus migratoiius, robin : T. mustelinus, wood thrush 
T. minor, little hermit thrush : T. Wilsonii, Wilson's thrush.— 
Pyranga rubra, black-winged red-bird. 

Family — fissirostres — Cuv. 

Hirundo purpurea, purple martin : H. rufa, barn swallow: 
H. biculor, white bellied swallow: H. reparia, bank swallow: 
H. Fulva,f cliff swallow. Cypselus pelasgius, chimney swal- 
low. Caprimulgus vociferus, whip-poor-will: C. Virginianus, 
night-hawk. 

Family — conirostres — Cuv. 

Sturnus ludovicianus, meadow lark. Icterus phoeniceus, 
red-winged blackbird: I.Baltimore, oriols: I. spurius, orch- 
ard oriole. Emberiza agripennis, bob-o-link: E.Americana, 
black-throated bunting: E. nivalis, snow bunting. Spiza cy- 
anea, indigo bird: S. Pennsylvanica, white-throated sparrow: 
S. melodia, song sparrow: S. savanna, savannah sparrow : S. 
graminca, grass sparrow: S. Canadensis, tree sparrow: S. so- 
cialis, chipping sparrow: S. nivialis, common snow-bird. — 
Carduelis tristis, American gold finch. Fringilla erythropthal- 
ma, to wee fmch. Erythrospiza purpurea, purple finch. Gui- 
racse cardinalis, cardinal grosbeak: G. ludovicianarosebreast- 
cd grosbeak: G. cosrulea,| blue grosbeak. Pyrrhula enuclea- 

*This r.ylvia, it is said, is not found east of the mounlalns. I ^have sev-> 
era! specimens in my collection, procured here. 

•jThis species was first observed in this vicinity eight or ten years ago, — 
They attached their singular and ingenious nest on the sides of the piers of 
the Columbia bridge. 

4:Bartrain, saw this bird near the city of Lancaster; it is seldom geen iii 
the Union- 

43* 



510 HISTORY OF 

tor,* pine grosbeak. Parus bicolor, tufted titmouse: P. palus- 
tris, blaek-capped titmouse. Alauda alpistris, shore lark.— 
Garrulus cristatus, blue Jay. Corvus corone, common crow. 
Quiscalis, versicolor, crow blackbird : Q. baritus, slender billed 
blackbird : Q. ferrugineus, rusty blackbird. 

Family — tenuirostres — Cut. 

Sitta Carolinensis, white breasted nuthatch: S. Canadensis, 
red-bellied nuthatch. Certhia familiaris, brown creeper. — 
Troglodytes fulvus, house wren: T. eurepceus, winter wren : 
T. palustris, marsh wren. Mellisuga colubris, ruby throated 
humming bird. 

ORDER— ALCYONES—TEMMiNCK. 

Alcedo alcyon, belted king fisher. 

ORDER— SCANSORES—Cuv. 

Colaptes auratus, golden wood pecker or flicker. Picus pi- 
leatus, log-cock: P.erythrocephalus, red-headed wood pecker: 
P. varius, yellow-bellied wood pecker: P. Carolinus, red- 
bellied wood pecker, : P. villosus, hairy wood pecker: P. pu- 
bescens, downy wood pecker. Coecygus Americanos, blacks 
billed cuckoo: C. dominicus, yellow-billed cuckoo. 

ORDER— GALLING— CUV. 

Maleagris gallopavo,f wild turkey. Ortyx Virginiana, par- 
tridge. Tetrao umbcllus, ruftcdgrous or pheasant. Columba 
Carolinensis, turtle dove: C. migratorias, wild pigeon. 

ORDER— GRALL^.— CUV. 

Caladris arenaria, sand plover. Charadriuspluvialis, golden 
plover: C. melodia, ring plover: C, vocifcrus, kildeer plover, 
Squatarola helvetica, field plover. Tringa pectoralis, pectoral 
sand piper: T. Wilsonii, Wilson's sand piper. Ileteropoda 

•It is not often that this species extends its emigrations this far south. — 
Late in Novojnber, 183G, the writer obtained several individuals in this vi- 
cinity, from a fluck of fifteen or twenty. 

fThe wild turkey is still occasionally met with on the northern confines 
of the county. A few arc also known still to exist on Chesnut hill ridge. 
Several years ago an individual was shot near Chiques creek, on the ground?^ 
now the property of S. Boyi^ Esq. hy Mr. F. Kagle. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 511 

semipalmaia, semi pal mated snipe. Totanus vociferus, greater 
yellow shanks tattler: T. flavipes, smaller yellow shanks 
tattler: T. chloropygius, green rump tattler.- T. macularius, 
peet-weet snipe. Limosa fedoa, marbled godwit. Numenius 
longirostris,* long billed curlew: N. hudsonicus esquimax 
curlew. Scolopax Wilsonii, American snipe. Rusticola minor, 
woodcock. Rallus Virginianus, Virginia rail. Crex Caroli- 
nus, soree or rail. Ardea herodius, great blue heron : A. egret- 
ta, white heron: A. nycticorax. qua-bird: A. lentiginous, bit- 
tern: A. virescens, green heron or fly-up the creek : A. exilis, 
least bittern. 

ORDER— NATATORES—viEiLLOT. 

Phoenicopterus ruber.f red flamingo. Fulica Americana, 
coot. Podiceps cornutus, dobchick. Hydroka Corolinensis„ 
pied-billed dobchick. Sterna argentea,]: silvery tern. Larua 
capistratus, brown masked gull. L. canus, common gull: L.. 
argentatus, herring gull: Zonorhynchus, ringed-billed gull. — 
Anser hyberboreus, white snow goose : A. Canadensis, com- 
mon wild goose : A. barnicla, brent goose. Cynus fcrus, 
white swan. Anas clypeata, shoveler duck: A. domcstica, 
mallard duck: A. strepera, gadwall duck: A. acuta, grey or 
pintail duck: A. Americana, bald pate duck : A. obscura, black 
duck: A. discors, blue winged teal : A. crecca, green winged 
teal. Dendronessa sponsa, wood duck. Oidemia fusca, velvet 
duck: 0. Americana, American scoter duck: 0. nigra, scoter 
duck. Gymura rubida, ruddy duck. Fuligula valisneria, can- 
vass-back duck : F. ferina, pochard or red-headed duck: F., 
rufitorques, ring-necked duck. Clangula vulgaris, whistling 
or golden eyed duck: C. albeola, spirit duck. Harelda glaci- 
alis, long-tailed duck, or "South southerly." Mergus mergan- 
ser, goosander or great fisher duck: M. serrator, red breast- 
ed fisher duck : M. cucullatus, hooded fisher duck. Colymbus 
glacialis, loon. 

The principal number of the species enumerated in the 
foregoing catalogue, have come under the observation of the 
writer ; and are known to be residents, or casual visiters within 
the limits of the county. Specimens of most of them are in 
Libhart's " Museum of the Arts and Sciences," in Marietta, 
and were obtained in that vicinity. 

*This and the following species have been shot on the Conestoga, near 
Lancaster, — now in the museum of that city. 

tVVe have been informed that the specimen in the Lancaster museum, was 
shot on the Conestoga. When found thus far north they must be considered 
only as stragglers. 

:^A specimen now m my possession, shot on the Susquehanna in 1840. 



512 HISTORY OP 



A P P K i\ 1> I X . 

A. p. ?3. 

TaoMAs and Rich Ann Pknx surviving proprietors of the province of 
Pennsylvania entered, July 4, 1760, with Lord Baltimore into adeliiiiteai^rec- 
inent touehing the Iniai adjustment of the houndary line between Maryland 
and Pennsylvania. ConHiiissioricrs were apjiointed for that purpose. 'J'hose 
for Maryland were Huratia bharpe, Uenjaniin Tasker, Jr., Edward Lloyd, 
Robert Jenkins Henry, Daniel Dulany, Stephen Bordley, Rev. Alexander 
Malcolm; on the part ot Pennsylvania, the Hon. James Hamilton, William 
Allen, Richard Peters, Benjamin Chc\v,Lynford i.ardner, Ryves Holt,Georga 
Stephenson. 

While the committee was engaged in thsnr labors, the following persons 
were appointed on the part of Maryland to supply vacancies, the Kev. John 
Boaruley, George Stuart, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, and John Bealu 
Boardiey. To supjily vacancies on jnirt of Pennsylvania, Rev. John Ewing, 
William Coleman, Edward Shippen and Thomas Willing. 

The commissioners convened at IVew Castle, Nov. 19, 17G0, and after 
much deliberation made a final report the 9th Nov. 1763. The whole of 
their transactions have been faithi'ully recorded, and the document been pre- 
served, hi 1762, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were employed to 
run the line, and put an end to a subject of early and continued warm con- 
troversy. 

Before the final adjustment of this vexed question, and the definiteness of 
the line, many !iad taken up lands under Marv land warrants. The lands 
now owned by David Brown, and James Barnes, in Drumore township, and 
by James M'Spurvaji, Jeremiah and Slater Brown, James A. Caldwell, Nich- 
olas Boyde, Timothy Haines, Allen Cook, Robert Maxwell, William Cook 
and others ot Little Britain township, were, we have been informed, all taken 
up under Maryland warrants. 

B. p. 39. 

Jamks LeTout was according to R, Conyngham, Esq., a French Hugue- 
not, and member of the French settlement on the Schuylkill; living among 
the Indians, he aciiuired a knowledge of their language, and was useful to 
the government as an Indian agent and interpreter. He lived on or near 
the banks ot theSusijuehanna, within the present limits of Lancaster county 
in 1719. From the Colonial Records, \o\. II. p. 100 — it seems he came to 
this country when quite young. *• Having been bred in it from his infancy," 
and from p. 1 23, it appears he had been at Concstoga prior to 1703; and accord- 
ing to Hazzard'o Rc^•i^lcr, vol. XV. p. 82, he penetrated to Cumberland 
Valley as c irly as 1731, and t'cttlcd at Lc Tort's spring near Carlisle. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 513 

C. p. f/J. 

TnK II LT;f KNOTS. — ThiH torm, HOW 80 vvcll uridf-rstood as an honorable, 
rather than a dishonorable desiijnation of those who professed the Re- 
formed religion in France, during the persecutions and civil wars in that 
kingdom, is involved in some obscurity. Whether it was originally confer- 
upoii them, by the adherents of the so styled "Mother (Jhurcb" as a term 
of reproach, or voluntarily assumed by themselves as a party name, or 
whether it is a derivation from some other word, having an analogous sound, 
and introduced from some foreign language, is equally uncertain. Many 
and various are the sources to which the learned and the curious have en- 
deavored to trace the etymrlogy of this word ; but like every thing else 
founded upon conjecture, we are left as much in the dark as ever. 

Some have assserted that the term was originally applied to the nifrnbers 
of the Rcf<;rmed by the dignitaries of the Romish Church, as one of reproach. 
To sustain this posiiion, it is argued that when the new doctrine was first 
preached in France, a number of the inhabitants of the city of Tours — 
which afterwards, and next to the city of Rochelle, ranked as the strongest 
hold of the Reformed party — embraced the same. Unlike the Romanists* 
their worship was conducted in the evening as well as in the day. Culti- 
vating a spirit of genuine piety, they met after night in each others houses 
for social [irayer. In this, they imitated the example of primitive christians, 
and like them, they became the subjects of a persecution almost as relent- 
less. Going from house to house as the place of meeting might chance to 
be, after the labors of the day were over, to attend to this pious duty, and 
returning therefrom al a later hour, their enemies, the papists, endeavored to 
prevent the extension of their doctrines, by reporting at first that they were 
engaged in some foul conspiracy against the government, and aflcrwardg 
against the people. Failing in their attempts to affect them in this way, 
and finding that the fallow ground was being broken up daily, with the Tpry 
misc of a rich return, and that the seed of the true faith which was sown in 
confidence, was germinating and yielding an abundant harvest, despite their 
efforts, to the contrary-, they next changed their mode of warfare, and en- 
deavored to effect their object by bringing them into ridicule and contempt 
For this purpose, they seized upon the fact of their meeting after night, and 
connected with it a story, then current, concerning the city of Tours. One 
of the gates of the city, it seems, was called Hugo, and according to a popu- 
lar tradition from Hugo, comte Tours, who it seems according to the same 
tradition, was eminent in life only for his crimes, oppression and cruelty. — 
After his death — so runs the story — his spirit incapable of repose, haunted 
immediately after nightfall, the scene, which was the neighborhood of the 
gate in question, of its cruelty and crimes, when embodied in the flesh. — 
Many and strange pranks were played, and many a hapless wight was 



514 HISTORY OF 

bruised and beaten by this pugnacious spirit, all of which added to horribfe 
sounds and unearthly noises in the immediate vicinity of its walks, so 
alarmed the inhabitants as to induce them to keep closely housed, whenever 
the hour for its appearance drew near. Hence, Hugo and ghost came to be 
synonymous; and as has been already shown, the social worship of night- 
meetings of the Reformers being so widely different from the imjiosing cere- 
mony of the Romish church, and requiring them consequently to be out 
more after nisht than the latter, each individual of the former was called a 
IIuiio, the whole Huguenots. Thus much for tliis derivation, and the tale 
that thereby hangs. 

'J'lie next supposed derivation, is that it was a term voluntarily assumed 
by themselves as a party name, when their religion was attacked and they 
were forced to take arms against the government in self-defence. As they 
Avere rigid Calviriists, of great sanctity of character and purity of morals^ 
Casoneuvp has pretended to have discovered the original in the Flemish 
word Fleghenon or Huguenon, which means Cathari or Puritan ; but this 
is not very yirobable, inasmuch as it is not likely, that having a word in their 
own vcciihulary, su expressive as "Puritan." they would be disposed to bor- 
row from a lanauage no more known than the Flemi.^h. 

Anotlier author has attempted to trace its origin to Hufrncnotc, a name 
given to ar. iron or earthen pot for cooking, by connecting it with the j^ersecu^ 
lions to which the Reformed were subjected in France; and basing it upon 
the hypotiiesis, that some of their number may have been roasted or tortured' 
and exposed to the flames like a vessel used for culinarv' purposes. 

These are all, however, but mere surmises, unsupported and unsustained 
by any thincr at all calculated to give them, a prof>er title to serious coi.sider-^ 
cration. The only etymology then, which in our humble opinion remains, 
is undoubtedly the true one — this we shall briefly attempt to prove by the 
history of the times and the people. 

Eids'-noss is a German compounded word, in the Saxon and Dutch dial- 
ects Eedneudtieu ; of which the singular is Ei(J<^eTioss, or Eedgtnol.* It is 
firmed from Eid an oath, and Genoss a confederate or partaken of the oath; 
and was the original designation of the three Swiss patriots William '/'ell, 
V.'alter Fuerst and Arnold of Me'cthahj on the night of the 7th Nov. 1307, 
met at Rurtli on the lake of lAJzcrne and there hound themselves by a solemn 
oath, to shake off the yoke of their Austrian oppressors, and to re-establish 
the libf^rties of their country. The conspiracy thus formed was embraced 
with delicrht by all to whom it was communicated, each member of which 
was called an Eid::e).o98 and afterwards, January 7, A. D. 13U8, when the 
people of the Vv'aidstetter, compered of the Cantons Appenzell, Glaris and 
IJri, met in solemn council and took the oath of perpetual alliance, they were 
designated as the Eihenuosst^tiachaft, i- e. Confederation. Through suc- 
cessive generations they were thus known, and \\iien in aftertimes, the peo- 
ple of fieneva which had now been included in the Swiss confederation, em- 
braced the doctrines of John Calvin; they threw off the allegiance of the 
Duke of Savoy ; and in order to maintain their independence, formed a con- 
federacy after the example of the Waldstetter with tlie ('antons of Bern and 
Freiboure, whi h was also confirmed by an oath of all the contracting par- 
ties. Like the original patriots, they in turn were called Eidcencssm. This 
movement being half temporal and half ecclesiastical or spiritual, related to 

♦Lewis Mayer. D, D. See liis letter, Oct. 11. 1843. 
f Davenport, article Fuerst. 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 515 

tlieir freedom of government as men and the rights of conscience as Cliris^ 
Hans. Hence in its popular usage, this term conveyed the primary idea of 
freemen, in contradistinction to mameiu/;es, seijs or slaves by which name 
the party of the Duke was better known ; and also the secondary idea of a 
religious reformation, in the mind of the adliercnts to the Romish faith. For 
the city of Geneva, having embraced the Reformed doctrines, and immedi- 
ately thereafter, tin-own olf their allegiance, under the circumstances already 
given, the term Eiyrtnosstn became identiried among the [)apists with the 
notion of rebels, or apostoies from the church, and was therefore consequent- 
ly used as a term of reproach. 

From Geneva, where he had taught with so much success that instead of 
Zurich, it became the metropolis of the Reformed Churches, Calvin, ardent 
in the discharge of what he conceived his duty, pushed hi^ doctrines with 
eminent success into his native kingdom of France. They were readily em- 
braced by the learned and the pious, without regard to caste or standing in 
society. The admiral Gaspar de Coligni, D' Andelot, Mornay, Duplessis, 
Jja Rcnandie, the Prince de Conde Ann Dubourg, Theodore Beza, and a 
host of others equally worthy and eminent for ti.eir virtues, were among the 
firmest supporters o!" the Reformation, and the teachers of its doctrines. Sus- 
tained by such men even against the power of the court; in the midst of 
persecutions and civil wars — the f)rofessors of the Reformed religion were 
spoken of vidth respect; and althouuh the term Eidgenoss, or Eedgenot, was 
known in France at that time, slid no ellbrt was made to bring them into 
disrepute by the application of this or any other term of ridicule except when 
they were occasionally called ^'the preknded rt formed''^ or "seditious rehg- 
ionists" in the state papers. Thus they remained, until on the accession of 
Francis, II. to the throne and his early marriage with Mary, Queen of 5>cot- 
land. Being very young in years, and devotedly attached to his young 
Queen, he readily transfered the care of his kingdom to his wife's uncle, the 
Dukes of Guise and Lorraine. This berat discontent among the protcstants 
who only wanted a leader to organize tliem into a formidable body. Calvin 
like Thomas Cranmer, the celebrated reformer, had taught that the king was 
supreme, and acting upon this principle, the French Calvinists m.aintained 
that the King being yet in his minority was to be protected by his subjects 
from the tyranny of his uncles; to this end a plan was concerted known as 
the conspiracy of Amboise, for their overthrow of which the Prince deCondc 
was unanimously chosen leader; but without his knowledge, nor was he to 
ho considered as a p;irticipator, until the time of action arrived. J.iim De 
Bari, and the Sieur La Renandi, in the meantime were to direct all their 
jnovemenln. In coid'ormity with this phn they convened a meeting of the 
protestar.t leaders at .\'antes,in the darkness of the night in a ruined building 
on the outskirts of the town. Before tliey proceeded to develope their 
schemes, La Ranandi, administered solemn oaths that 'nothing be done or 
attempted against the King and Qaeen-m..ther, or princes, his brothers.' To 
tnis agreement tliey all swore ; and after praying for success, they parted 
with fraternal embraces and in tears. I'he time and place of carrying their 
plot into execution, was to be at Blois, on the L5th March, 1550. By some 
means the plot was discovered to the Count and therefore, the Duke of Guise 
was appointed Lieutenant General of the Kingdom, with supreme power in 
.nil cases, civil and military. Armed with this authority he adopted the most 
energetic measures to suppress the protestants, and although succeeded in 
defsating and killing La Renandi and a few of his companions, yet the 
43irect was not produced which the Count anticipated ; but on the contrar}^. 



516 HISTORY OF 

the Reformed party increased in numbers and displayed additional zeal and 
activity in all their movements much to the annoyance of tlie Guises and 
their adherents." 

It is only at this period of history in France then that wc find the profes- 
sors of the Reformed religion first designated by the term Huguenots. They 
were identified in faith with the Reformed of Geneva, and Uke them, upon 
the discovery of the conspiracy referred to, were called Eidgcnossm, that is 
in the Papist sense, rebels and apostates. From this, owing to their igno- 
rance of the orthography of the Geiman word, and their inability to pro- 
nounce it correctly ; but yet well knowing its import, it is easy to conceive 
that Frenchmen would readily corrupt it into Huguenot. The analogy ig 
striking, the facts undoubted, and the reasons given, to our mind, at least 
satisfactory. 

With this brief enquiry into the origin of the term Eidgcnossen, i. e. 
Hugueno', we might rest, but as there are many descendants of this brave, 
moral, religious and much persecuted people, residing in Lancaster county, 
and in some instances still living upon the farms originally patented by their 
refugee ancestors, we feel bound to say a word concerning them. Alter the 
Huguenot colonics at New Rochelle, West Chester county, Esopus, Ulster 
county, New York, had been formed, some of their number at an early day, 
as has been shown (pages 101, 107, 1 11.) emigrated to this county and com- 
menced seltlements. This soon opened the way for a direct emigration of 
their persecuted brethren still remaining in France, and of others who had 
sought [;rotection of the protcstant powers of Switzerland, Germany, Hol- 
land and England. Among the most prominent of these early Huguenot 
settlers in this county, we give the names of several heads of familes, as 
follows: Ije Fevre, Firre, or Fuehre, now corrupted into Ferree, Brinton, Le 
Mont, now written Leaman, Bushong, Deahong, Le Roy, anglilicd into 
King, Le Ba/ure, now corrupted into Bezoar, or Besorc, La Rue, Dubois, 
La rierre, anglified into Stein, Goshen, Barre De Normandie, Meessakop, 
now spelt Messenkop, Bucher, Verdre,De Hoof, now spelt Dehulf, l^e Chaar, 
now written Lcscher, Cherrard, and others. 

These pious aiid persecuted men with their fellow refugees and families 
passed " through much tribulation," until at length they secured lor them- 
selves and posterity an assylum where they could " worship God according 
to the dictates of their own consciences." Although tlicy succeeded far be- 
yond their most sanguine expectations, still they looked back with regret, 
and in many instances with home-sick hearts, ujmn the vine-clad hills and 
sunny fields of their own much loved France. 'i^hey were exiles from the 
land of their nativity, the broad billows of the Atlantic rolled between them 
and the graves of their fathers. Separated from friends and kindred, who in 
turn were driven to seek the protection of foreign potentates or restrained by 
the policy of the government, after tlie revocation of the edict of Nantes, 
from emigrating and forced into an abjuration of their fa th — how harrass- 
ing must have hcen their feelings and how sore their trials !! But, "He 
who tempers the wind to the shorn lamii," was still gracious unto them ; he 
who had protected and defended them from dangers imminent and terrible, 
was still "their strcriglli and aliidin'g place." Time blunted the keencss ol 
their sorrows, and as the forest began to bloom beneath tlieir labors, they 
sat down in contentment, and in daily prayer returned thanksgiving unto 
Him, who is the Author of every good and perfect gift. 



STATISTICS OF 



Townships. 



Bart - - - - 
Brecknock - - 
Caernarvon 
Colerain - - - 
Conestoga - - 
Drumore - - 
Earl - - - 
E. Cocalico - ■ 
E. Donegal - 
E. Hempfield *«- 
Elizabeth - - 
Ephrata - - • 
Lampeter* 
Lancaster - • 
Leacock* - - 
Little Britain • 
Manheim - - 
Manor - - - 
Strasburg* 
Mount Joy - • 
Rapho - - - 
Salisbury 
Salisbury . - - 
Martic - - 
Warwick - - 
W. Cocalico 
V/. Donegal* - 
W. Earl - - 
W. Hempfield 



LANCASTER COUI^TI FOR 1840. 


K 




m 








S^ 


O 




h3 








w w 


D 

o 

CLi 


i 




< 


i 

a 
a 
o 
fa 


o 


o 


1,859 


4 


4 


I 


• 


■~437- 


12,125 


732 


6 


6 








342 


4,428 


1,590 


10 


4 





2 


395 


24,411 


1,453 


4 


4 


1 


1 


336 


12,140 


2,866 


12 


5 





2 


680 


30,365 


2,268 


8 


5 


1 





687 


•36,885 


3,982 


10 


7 








1,178 


64,900 


1,893 


10 


1 








388 


16,842 


4,415 


6 


1 








576 


50,000 


1,657 


8 











418 


36,231 


2,049 


12 


3 


1 


1 


767 


24,498 


2,083 


8 


4 








463 


21,700 


3,296 


8 


7 








198 


17,491 


9,226 


7 


2 








275 


10,710 


3,337 


3 


3 








1,832 


148,718 


3,042 


17 


8 





3 


779 


41,35f 


1,829 


4 


3 








553 


37,1' 


4,152 


10 


4 








905 


60.( 


4,155 


18 


6 








1,093 


7i;9 


2,375 


7 











479 


25,6i 


3,557 


10 


5 


^2 





1,135 


63.9? 


2,093 


8 








«3 


257 


17,1: 


3,959 


3 





1 





875 


73,( 


2,453 


12 


4 


1 





481 


16,f 


3,725 


12 


7 








1,304 


57/ 


1,229 


4 


3 








368 


4r 


2,510 


5 


6 


1 





557 




1,723 


7 


6 








587 




4,682 


11 


4 


1 





435 





*SincG 1840, these have been divided. 

Note. — The Furnaces produced in 1840, 6,912 tons cf pigs ; ti 
2,090 tons of bar iron ; consumed 16,525 tons of fuel. 

There were 10 Commission houses with a capital of ^56,000; 25 
capital !^1 ,09 0,085 ; 25 Lumber-yards, capital ^207,000 ; 1 Cotton 
2,000 spindles, value of articles manufactured ^10,000 ; employed 
sons, capital ?^20,000. 

There were 29 Tanneries, employed 59 men, capital §51,600 ; Di: 
in 1840, 119, (much less now,) produced 84,470 gallons, employ 
men , capital §9,000. 

There were also 7 Oil mills, which employed 131 men, the valu« 
manufactured estimated at ^42,000. 

The total population of the county was 84,203. Schools 206, ant 
bcr of scholars 9,996. White persons over 20 years of age who t. 
read and write 1,116 ! I ! one of every 75 I! ! In agriculture, 10,285. 
engaged ; in manufactures and trades, 3,928 ; in raining, 108; in conn 
250 ; learned professions and engineers, 503, and 44 pensioners. Bea 
dumb persons, 20 ; Mind, 1 6 ; insane and idiots, 52. 






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